It has been a good long while since Notre Dame has put a true marquee figure at middle linebacker. In fact, not since Courtney Watson in 2004 have the Irish even put any linebacker in the NFL Draft.
In sophomore phenom Manti Te'o, the draft drought will come to an end at this position.
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Te'o's 63 total tackles last season are third most in history among Irish freshmen defenders.
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Coming out of Punahou High School, Te’o was everyone’s national player of the year on defense two years ago, and he got his feet wet last season as he learned the college game on the fly. This spring, Te’o evolved from greenhorn to standout, even by the standards of a new coaching staff.
“He can be a great player. He has a chance and he is showing some signs of that,” said Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly. “His recognition, his leadership, it’s exciting to watch him grow. He’s really grown quickly in a short period.”
Te’o arrived at Notre Dame as one of the most hyped recruits in program history, and it quickly became obvious why.
In his first action, the opener at Nevada, one could see that Te’o “hits different from the rest.” He made his first start the next week at Michigan, and ended the tight Purdue game with a sack.
The pride of Hawaii became a full-time starter at Will linebacker by the fifth game of his rookie year and his 63 total tackles – 39 solo and 34 assisted – rank third all-time among Irish freshmen. Only consensus All-Americans Bob Golic (82 in 1975) and Ross Browner (68 in 1973) recorded more.
Te’o’s 57 tackles over the final eight games ranked second on the team behind senior safety Kyle Mcarthy and Te’o’s 223:57 of playing time in those final eight games was tops among all Notre Dame defensive players.
But through it all, Te’o said he was far from satisfied – and even moderately disappointed – in the way his freshman season went.
“I was making some plays but I was making a lot more mistakes,” Te’o said. “I remember my mistakes more than I remember the plays. This year, I’m working so that those mistakes don’t happen again.”
Te’o said he played timidly at times last season, and therefore found himself reacting instead of anticipating.
“I’m not that type to get nervous but I can honestly say last year I was nervous,” Te’o said. “Nervous in a way that I was scared to make a mistake. I didn’t want to make a mistake, because I knew that any mistake could cost me playing time. As a freshman, you can’t afford to make mistakes.”
One year in the program should help Te’o put the anxiousness aside during his second go around. He started to emerge as one of the team leaders this spring, so there is a growing level of familiarity and comfort. And if he learns to play with the same instincts that made him such a great high school player, it’s dangerous to guess how good he could become.
What’s A Good Season?
At 250 pounds Te’o has the size and hitting prowess that has been often lacking on the inside for the Irish. But what sets him apart is the quickness to the ball, smelling out plays and also being able to cover tight ends, making him an “every down linebacker,” according to Kelly. The graduated Toryan Smith had plenty of girth and played physically, but he did not possess the fluidity that Te’o does.
Kelly stated on a number of occasions this spring that nothing can emasculate a defense more than an offense running at will. In the four straight losses to conclude the 2009 regular season under Charlie Weis six different running backs eclipsed 100 yards rushing. Opponents averaged 263 yards rushing per game at a clip of 5.7 yards per carry.
With Te’o in charge of the middle this season, expect the rush defense to dramatically improve and Te’o’s production to drastically climb. In this system, we expect Te’o to lead the team in tackles, approach 100 stops for the season and make several game-changing type plays.
Keep in mind, Te’o was a situational player through the first four games last season, so that kind of production isn’t too far-fetched.
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