Manti Te'o during 2010 game against USC. |
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| Notre Dame Fighting Irish — No. 5 | |
| Linebacker | Junior |
| Major: Graphic Design | |
| Date of birth: January 26, 1991 | |
| Place of birth: Laie, Hawaii | |
| Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | Weight: 255 lb (116 kg; 18 st 3 lb) |
| Career history | |
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| High school: Punahou School, Honolulu, Hawaii |
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College(s):
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| Bowl games | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Stats at ESPN.com | |
Manti Malietau Louis Te'o (born January 26, 1991)[1] is an American collegiate football player. He is a linebacker at the University of Notre Dame.
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Te'o began his high school career at Kahuku High School on the North Shore of Hawaii in 2005. He played on the Red Raiders' junior varsity team and earned team defensive player of the year accolades as a result of his play.
He transferred in 2006 to the Punahou School, a private co-ed institution in Manoa Valley, Honolulu, where he had also attended middle school. Te'o began his varsity career that year with stellar play that landed him on the second-team all-state roster as a sophomore.
As a junior in 2007, Te'o was named the state defensive player of the year by the Honolulu Advertiser and the Gatorade state player of the year. He received first-team all-state honors while totaling 90 tackles and five sacks on defense and 400 rushing yards and ten touchdowns as a running back.[2] Te'o drew considerable attention from colleges and recruiters in the process.
Te'o came into his senior year as one of the most celebrated players and recruits both on the state and national levels, landing on a number of national top ten recruiting lists before the start of the season. Te'o received offers from over 30 college programs. During his senior year, Te'o helped lead Punahou to its first-ever state championship in football during the 2008 season. He amassed 129 tackles, including 11 sacks, forced three fumbles, tipped four passes and totaled 19 quarterback hurries. On offense at running back, Te'o rushed for 176 yards (5.3 yards per carry) and four touchdowns and had three receptions, two for touchdowns. He also had three interceptions, returning one 49 yards for a touchdown. He also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.
He received his second straight Gatorade state player of the year award for his play during the season and was named first-team all-state and the state defensive player of the year for the second straight season. Te'o was such a force that The Honolulu Advertiser considered just naming him the overall state player of the year.[3] He is regarded as one of the most highly recruited athletes, both in football and for any sport, in the history of the state of Hawaii.
After the year, Te'o participated in the Hawaii Prep Classic and the Under Armour All-America Game, choosing to participate in the latter over the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.[4] Te'o played in the Under Armour game along with his high school turned collegiate teammate, wide receiver Roby Toma.
Te'o committed to the University of Notre Dame on National Signing Day, February 4, 2009.[5] He chose the Fighting Irish, coached by Charlie Weis, over USC and UCLA. Te'o is the first USA Today Defensive Player of the Year to commit to the Irish since Kory Minor in 1995.
Te'o made his first collegiate start in the Irish's game against the University of Michigan on September 12, 2009. He played in all 12 games of his freshman season, starting in 10. He finished the season with 63 tackles, the third-most tackles ever by a Notre Dame freshman.[6] Te'o also recorded 5.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack.
On December 8, 2009, Te'o was named a Freshman All-American by College Football News.[7] Te'o was also named a second-team Freshman All-American by Rivals.com.[8]
Te'o moved from outside to inside linebacker in 2010 as Notre Dame switched to a a 3-4 defensive scheme under defensive coordinator Bob Diaco.[9] On April 30, 2010, Te'o was named to the 2010 Lombardi Award & Nagurski Award watch lists.[6][10]
Te'o led the Fighting Irish in tackles with 133, and was second in tackles for loss with 9.5. Against Stanford on September 25, Te'o finished with 21 total tackles. This total represents a career-high for Te'o and is also the most tackles in a game by an individual for Notre Dame since 2006.[11]
Te'o was named one of 16 semifinalists for both the Butkus Award (Best Collegiate Linebacker) and the Bednarik Award for top College defensive player.[12] Te'o was also named a Second Team All-American by CNNSI.[13]
Te'o returns to Notre Dame as the team's leading tackler from last season. Te'o has been named to the preseason watch lists for the Bednarik Award, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award and the Nagurski Award.[14]
Manti Te’o announced on December 11, 2011 that he would return to Notre Dame for his senior season.
All statistics from Notre Dame Official Athletic Site,[15][16][17]
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Sacks | Pass Defense | Fumbles | Blkd | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Total | TFL-Yds | No — Yds | Int — Yds | BU | PD | Qbh | Rcv — Yds | FF | Kick | Saf | |||
| 2009 | Notre Dame | 12 | 29 | 34 | 63 | 5.5 - 25 | 1.0 - 12 | 0 - 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | Notre Dame | 13 | 66 | 67 | 133 | 9.5 - 34 | 1.0 - 7 | 0 - 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 - 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | Notre Dame | 12 | 55 | 60 | 115 | 13 - 30 | 4.5 - 17 | 0 - 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 37 | 150 | 161 | 311 | 28 - 89 | 6.5 - 36 | 0 - 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 0 - 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
In 2008, Te'o won the inaugural Butkus Award at the high school level, awarded to the best prep linebacker in the United States.[18] He was also named the 2008 Sporting News High School Athlete of the Year, becoming the first person from the state of Hawaii and the first athlete of Polynesian descent to receive the award.[19] USA Today named Te'o the national defensive player of the year and a first-team All-American. He is only the third high school player from Hawaii to be named to the USA Today All-American team and the second player from Punahou to earn such a distinction since 1990.[20] Te'o was also named to the 2009 Parade All-American team as well.[21] On January 10, 2010, Te'o was named the Hawaii State Defensive Player of the Decade (2000–2009) by the Honolulu Advertiser.[22]
In high school, Te'o had a 3.5 grade-point average and did volunteer work with the Shriners Hospital, Head Start preschool program, Hawai'i Food Bank and Special Olympics. Te'o also became an Eagle Scout in November 2008.[23] Te'o is a devout member of the LDS community.[24]
All rankings and assessments current as of 01/21/09.
| Recruiting Service | Stars/Grade | Position Rank | Overall Rank |
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| Rivals |
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| ESPN |
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| Athlon |
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| O-D |
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| Emfinger |
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| Tom Lemming |
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Manti Te'o was awarded the following rankings and accolades by these recruitment and news sources.[25]
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