- Manti Te'o
-
Manti Te'o 
Manti Te'o during 2010 game against USC.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 High school: Punahou School,
Honolulu, HawaiiCollege(s):
- Notre Dame (2009–present)
Bowl games - 2010 Sun Bowl
Career highlights and awards - 2010 Second Team All-American (CNNSI)
- 2009 Freshman All-American (CFN)
- 2009 Second Team Freshman All-American (Rivals.com)
- High school awards and honors
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.
Contents
Prep career
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.
College career
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.
Freshman season (2009)
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]
Sophomore season (2010)
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]
Junior season (2011)
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]
Statistics
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 11 50 53 103 11.5 - 29 4.5 - 17 0 - 0 1 1 4 0 - 0 0 0 0 Career 36 145 154 299 26.5 - 88 6.5 - 36 0 - 0 5 5 8 0 - 0 1 0 0 Awards and accomplishments
Football
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]
Extra-Curricular
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]
List of awards
- Hawaii State Defensive Player of the Decade (2000–2009)
- 2008 Butkus Award (HS)
- 2008 Sporting News High School Athlete of the Year
- 2008 USA Today National Defensive Player of the Year
- 2009 PARADE All-American
- 2008 Gatorade Hawaii Football Player of the Year
- 2007 Gatorade Hawaii Football Player of the Year
- 2008 Hawaii State Defensive Player of the Year
- 2007 Hawaii State Defensive Player of the Year
- 2008 Punahou Aina Award
- 2009 All-American Donny Martin Award
College recruitment and rankings
Player assessment
All rankings and assessments current as of 01/21/09.
Recruiting Service Stars/Grade Position Rank Overall Rank Rivals 
2 12 Scout 1 6 ESPN 93/100 1 2 Athlon 869/1,000 1 3 O-D N/A 1 1 Emfinger 1,285 1 7 Tom Lemming N/A 1 12 Recruitment honors
Manti Te'o was awarded the following rankings and accolades by these recruitment and news sources.[25]
- Rated the top defensive player in the nation and second-best player in the country by Sporting News.
- Rated the second-best overall prospect in the ESPNU150 and best linebacker according to ESPN.
- Ranked fifth nationally in SI/TAKKLE Top 200 for 2008.
- Rated third in 2009 Athlon Consensus 100.
- Ranked sixth nationally by Scout.com and its top linebacker prospect.
- Ranked the 12th-best overall player nationally and second-best inside linebacker by Rivals.com.
- Rated the best player in Hawaii according to Rivals.com's postseason state rankings.
- Listed seventh nationally in Chicago Sun-Times rating of top 100 players.
- Rated the 12th-best all around player by Tom Lemming of CBS College Sports in his Top 100.
- Named to Superprep Elite 50 squad as 12th-best overall player.
- Named to Superprep All-America team as second-best linebacker in the county.
- Named Superprep Far West Defensive Player of the Year.
- Named top overall prospect in the Offense-Defense 100.
- Top vote-getter among defensive players in Long Beach Press-Telegram's 2009 Best in the West team.
- Selected to Western 100 in 2008 by Tacoma News Tribune.
- Named to 2008 MaxPreps All-America first-team defense as a senior.
References
- ^ Player Bio at the Official Athletic Site of the University of Notre Dame
- ^ Manti Te'o - Athlon Sports
- ^ Te'o had starring role as Defensive Player of Year
- ^ 47 Commit to Play in UA All-Star Game
- ^ Te'o goes to Notre Dame as USC's recruiting gets mixed early results
- ^ a b Manti Te'o Named To The 2010 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List
- ^ Cirminiello, Richard (December 8, 2009), "2009 CFN All-Freshman Team: Defense & Special Teams", College Football News, http://cfn.scout.com/2/927274.html
- ^ Rivals.com 2009 Freshman All-American Team
- ^ Te’o will be focus of defensive revival at Notre Dame
- ^ 2010 Lombardi Award Watch List
- ^ Notre Dame football: Ton of tackles, little else for Te'o
- ^ Star, Daily (2010-11-09). "MSU’s Jones, ND’s Te’o on Bednarik list". The Niles Star. http://www.nilesstar.com/2010/11/09/msu%E2%80%99s-jones-nd%E2%80%99s-te%E2%80%99o-on-bednarik-list/. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
- ^ Te'o, Ruffer named all-americans
- ^ Notre Dame Football: Will Manti Te'o Enter the 2012 NFL Draft?
- ^ "Notre Dame Official Athletic Site — Overall Defensive Statistics 2009-2010". University of Notre Dame. http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2009-2010/teamcume.html#TEAM.DEF. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
- ^ "Notre Dame Official Athletic Site — Overall Defensive Statistics 2010-2011". University of Notre Dame. http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2010-2011/teamcume.html#TEAM.DEF. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
- ^ "Notre Dame Official Athletic Site — Overall Defensive Statistics 2011-2012". University of Notre Dame. http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/teamcume.html#TEAM.DEF. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
- ^ Punahou senior linebacker Manti Te'o receives Butkus Award
- ^ Manti Te'o SN's high school athlete of the year
- ^ USA Today tabs Te'o as its best on defense
- ^ Meet PARADE's All-America High School Football Team
- ^ Te'o, Funaki top voting of readers
- ^ Manti Te'o
- ^ Manti Te'o - 10 Who Made A Difference
- ^ 2009 Notre Dame Signing Day Central
External links
- Official Notre Dame Fighting Irish bio
- MantiTeo.com - Fan site and blog
- Rivals.com Profile
- Scout.com Profile
Butkus Award winners (high school) 2008: Te'o | 2009: Hicks | 2010: Steward
H. Harris | 1983: R. Stallworth | 1984: Q. McDonald | 1985: J. Foley | 1986: M. Spindler | 1987: T. Collins | 1988: S. Gilbert | 1989: O. Gibson | 1990: D. Brooks | 1991: D. Daniels | 1992: J. German | 1993: L. Green | 1994: K. Minor | 1995: A. Katzenmoyer | 1996: D. Warren | 1997: D. Johnson | 1998: C. Redding | 1999: D. Williams | 2000: S. Cody | 2001: A. Brooks | 2002: A. Cromartie | 2003: T. Ginn | 2004: K. Phillips | 2005: G. McCoy | 2006: M. Austin | 2007: P. Peterson | 2008: M. Te'o | 2009: L. Joyner | 2010: J. Clowney Harrison Barnes | 2010: Mike Bellamy Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Established 1887 · based in Notre Dame, IndianaThe University University of Notre Dame · Location: Notre Dame, Indiana · President: Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. · Athletic Director: Jack SwarbrickHead coaches Affiliation Stadiums Rivalries Culture Lore Four Horsemen · "Win One for the Gipper" · Notre Dame Box · Jeweled Shillelagh · "The Game of the Century" (1946) · "The Game of the Century" (1966) · "The Chicken Soup Game" · Catholics vs. Convicts · 1991 Orange Bowl · "The Game of the Century" (1993) · Holy War · Shamrock Classic · Ireland Trophy · The "Bush Push" · 2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game · Play Like A Champion TodayHeisman Trophy winners National championships (11) BCS berths (3) Seasons (123) 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Categories:- 1991 births
- Living people
- People from Hawaii
- American football linebackers
- Under Armour All-American football players
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players
- Punahou School alumni
- U.S. Army All-American football players
- Hawaiian players of American football
- American people of Samoan descent
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