Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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nine). Like Lewis-Moore on defense, he will be a highly valuable anchor along the offensive line as a fifth-year senior in 2012. 11. CB GARY GRAY In 2010, Gray had an exceptional year as a tackler in run support and provided strong coverage opposite graduated Darrin Walls. A night- mare outing in week two at Michi- gan this year seemed to jolt the fifth- year senior's game into a little less assuredness, while cornerback run- ning mate Robert Blanton stepped into the forefront. Still, Gray finished fourth in tack- les (60) and tied Blanton for second most passes defended (seven) and passes broken up (five). In the right situation, we believe he is capable of making an NFL roster if he returns to his 2010 form. Honorable Mention: TE Tyler Eifert Although we originally listed "11 for '11," Eifert was added because he was too talented to be overlooked. Unfinished Business Of course, Manti Te'o was interested to know what NFL types thought of him as he pondered his future. Like fellow junior Tyler Eifert, Te'o submitted an official evaluation request, which he'll receive in January. But it was the answer to one simple question posed to senior wide receiver Michael Floyd following the 16-14 victory over Boston College on Senior Day that really swayed the Fighting Irish linebacker in favor of returning. "Was it worth it?" Te'o asked. Floyd responded: "There's nothing like it." Emotion trumped finances for Te'o, who was told by various people in the know, including former Irish head coach Charlie Weis, he'd go no lower than the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. "I didn't really need the evaluation," Te'o said. The 6-2, 255-pounder was a finalist for the Butkus Award and Lott Trophy in 2011, and was named to the Walter Camp All-America second team and the Capital One Academic All-America second team. He leads the Irish with 115 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. His 311 career tackles rank eighth in Notre Dame history. Yet Te'o explained that he wants to be coached like an unaccomplished rookie next season, a statement defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Bob Diaco found entertaining. "I said, 'Coach, I want you to coach me like the worst linebacker,' " Te'o said. "It's a nice sound bite," Diaco said. "I'm not sure he completely wants that. Watch what you ask for, you just might get it." Diaco is obviously thrilled, however, to have the Hawaiian back to lead a promising defense next fall. "His add to the program is as much through production as it is to the overall chemistry of what he adds to the whole university," he said. "It's a huge asset for the student-body, a huge asset for the team — just who he is — and a huge asset for the defense as it relates to production. I was very, very excited to have another chance to be with him for another year." Te'o announced that he would return at the Dec. 11 Lott IMPACT Trophy banquet in Newport Beach, Calif. "The plan was that we weren't going to make a decision until later," Te'o said. "Either post-bowl or near the bowl. We weren't going to make that deci- sion that night. But when the guy posed the question, I looked at my parents and they gave me the nod. I was like, 'All right, here goes.' " Floyd based part of his decision to come back this season on a desire to be the best wide receiver in the country. Te'o's personal goals are no less lofty. "[Diaco is] on me with every little thing," Te'o said. "That's what I want. Like I said, by this time next year I want to be the best linebacker and the best player to ever leave this place." Though it's his presence on the field that benefits the Irish football team most, Te'o turning down a staggering paycheck is an example of his level of commitment to his teammates and coaches and what he believes they can accomplish. "There's more to life than just dollar bills," he said. "It's education, it's rela- tionships with people, it's honoring people, honoring your family, honoring where you come from. That's what I hope to portray with this decision. Those things are important to me. www.BLUEANDGOLD.com Indeed, his 57 receptions (713 yards and five TD) broke three-time All- American Ken MacAfee's 34-year-old regular-season school record, and a third of them were clutch third-down conversions, more than anyone else on the team. Other than a drop at Stanford in the finale, his hands were virtually flawless, and his blocking moved another stepped forward. Returning for his senior year in 2012 would make him almost as much a linchpin in the offense as Floyd the past two years. ✦ Linebacker Manti Te'o, who led the Irish with 115 tackles in the regular season, decided to return for his senior campaign at Notre Dame despite many sources telling him he would be a first-round draft pick in the NFL. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL "I've always been taught by my dad that when you start something you finish it. For me to leave my junior year would mean I'm not finishing some- thing. I came here to do something. I don't really know what that is. But I know it was the right thing to come back for me." Weis, who was hired as the Kansas head coach on Dec. 8, was in South Bend, Ind., a week later on a recruiting trip. He met with several Irish players on the evening of Dec. 14. "If I ever wanted to know certain things [about the NFL], he would let me know," Te'o said. "He never told me, 'You should do this, you should do that.' He just told me these are the facts and laid them out. He said, 'You should be [selected] in the middle of the first round.' " Te'o said now that he is staying at Notre Dame, he's no longer interested in receiving his NFL evaluation next month. "I don't even want to see it," he said. "I made my decision." — Wes Morgan FEBRUARY 2012 21