This is what I've synthesized from talking with a handful of people on "the beat" and a friend of an assistant coach:
1. Tyree - Basically, he felt like he was super productive this year but didn't get enough touches/targets to audition for the NFL and be a draft pick. Wants to go somewhere where he can be the focal point of the offense NOT where he's one of three natural slot guys fighting for looks next year. Also thinks he can get some $$ in the portal. All of this is totally legit on his behalf and I think he's making the right decision. He showed some great flashes in his first year as a WR and owes it to himself to try to get to the league.
2. Merriweather - Basically, what they sold him on for this year and how they practiced all camp went entirely out the window when he struggled early in the season. They practiced for him be the outside WR opposite of Thomas where Thomas was the possession guy / high volume guy and Merriweather was going to be given a reasonable number of opportunities a game to be explosive. The passing game was not that, and rather than him getting coached up + developed they basically cut him out of the offense entirely. He and his family lost all faith in Stuckey + the offensive staff in general, and they want to go somewhere with a good coach + real passing game to see if he can be developed.
3. James - Consensus from everyone was that he had a really rough first season and basically just wanted to GTFO and try again somewhere else. Apparently he struggled with everything but also didn't feel like he was getting better or had a good path to get better.
4. Flores - Left because they fired Stuckey. He was already out of his comfort zone at ND and when they fired Stuckey he decided to pull the rip cord because the reasons to leave ND outweighed the reasons to stay.
5. Staes - Technically not a WR, but basically he didn't want to have to fight for targets next year with Evans/Raridon when he could get paid to go somewhere else and be a full time starter. Sounds like he found himself in a similar situation to Brock Wright where he has the talent to be an NFL guy but is in a log jammed position... the difference is that Staes has NIL + the portal.
On Stuckey himself... I do not have the full picture on why and how he was fired, but I'm sure the "real story" will leak out sooner rather than later. It does seem like he had some sort of meeting with Freeman that did not go well and Freeman basically decided they needed to hit a reset button at the position.
Bottom line -- four out of the five leaving were because of coaching or general dissatisfaction with the design of the offense or their role in the offense. Only Flores left because of other factors and Freeman firing Stuckey.
