Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/80354
W Te'o Is A Prime Example Of A Notre Dame Man FIGHTING WORDS WES MORGAN again in 2012, will time form a patina on what was a sterling career? For his sake, let's hope not. Already one of the most dominant hat will Manti Te'o's legacy be? If the Notre Dame football team proves doubters right defenders in Notre Dame history, the senior inside linebacker went with his gut when he chose the Fighting Irish over programs better positioned in college football's hierarchy. And he went with his heart rather than run towards an NFL paycheck at the end of 2011. He has every right to be a little selfish now, and Te'o wants just two things this fall. "As a whole collective unit the goal is to make it to the BCS," he said. "When that happens, that's going to be an example of a successful year. "A successful year for me would would treat his visit like a business trip. Te'o still sampled the prime rib, but swore off sweets. He still con- sumed rice, a staple of Polynesian cuisine, but did so with restraint. He torched calories in the Hawaiian heat before his family was out of bed each morning. The consensus preseason All-Amer- ican logged miles on the Kahuku Stretch, a path that meanders through mountainous ranch land on one side and pristine coastline on the other. He sprinted up hills and attacked stair- cases before wearing out jump ropes. He never rested. "On July 4, we went to a family re- be when I run out of that tunnel for the last time and people are crying. That'll show me I made an impact on lives here. When I see that happening — when I see people standing and crying — that's when I'll know I had a successful year." Because the Hawaiian has a stoic demeanor, that his words are mea- sured and delivered with an enlight- ened-sounding accent, Te'o has been somewhat canonized by fans. He's not even Catholic; he's Mormon. And he skipped his required two-year mis- sion. Perhaps, in his mind, he felt as if he could do more good in four years in South Bend instead — on the field as well as off it. At the top of the 6-2, 240-pounder's union," he said. "The family reunion was in Utah. Right when I got to Utah, I was like, 'I need to work out. I need to go.' I ran to a Gold's Gym. I just needed to workout; that was my whole mentality." Head coach Brian Kelly said he has Not only has Manti Te'o been intently focused on leaving the Irish program in better shape than he found it three years ago, he also hopes he has made an impact on lives in South Bend. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND I live off campus and I want to move back on campus — just to experience Notre Dame," he said. "Obviously, I'm not going to move back on cam- pus because I love my big bed; I love my air conditioning. But I'm going to be on campus a lot." A reminder of how close the experi- "This is going to sound crazy, but priority list has always been push- ing the dormant Irish program back into the national title mix. So far, af- ter playing in all 38 games (36 starts) and making 324 tackles since arriving at Notre Dame, he has suffered one disappointment after another. The Irish are 22-16 since the 2009 season. And like any senior aware that time is dwindling, Te'o is intently focused on leaving the program in better shape than how he found it three years ago. Just 74 stops behind former line- backer Steve Heimkreiter (1975-78), who is third on the all-time list with 398, Te'o is equally fixated on soaking in as much as possible in his remain- ing months on campus. www.BLUEANDGOLD.com never felt more comfortable with team leadership than he has going into year three. Te'o is clear example of the trust the coaching staff has in its veterans. "It's just a mature group of guys," Kelly said. "There's a lot of leader- ship in this group; they're helping the younger guys out there. It's just a different feel going out to practice. There's a lot of trust out there on both sides — coaches and players — and you can sense that and feel that. "I think he's just more comfort- ence is to completion, Te'o recalled watching his underclassmen team- mates haul television sets and furni- ture into their residence halls recently. "It really made me feel old," he said. "I'm really going to miss it." As much as fall camp has flooded Te'o with sentiment, he's mostly look- ing forward. For a guy who throws his body around like a demolition derby jalopy, he's always treated it like a trailer queen show car. Te'o, who has dropped 15 pounds since last season and weighs in at 240, took maintenance to an even higher level of obsessive compulsiveness during his brief summer vacation back home in Hawaii. His father, Brian, a master of meats, and his mother, Ottilia, a dessert vir- tuoso, realized immediately their son able in his ability to step out front. He doesn't feel like he's preaching to somebody. He just feels comfortable. "I think there's just a comfort level with the staff, me, Coach [Bob] Diaco and everybody that's involved in the program. I think it allows the players to feel like they can step up out front and be a leader and not have a mixed message. I think it happens with time, and that's what we're seeing with Manti three years into the program." Te'o has always embodied every- thing for which Notre Dame stands. Apart from all his other accomplish- ments, that's something for which he should forever be remembered. ✦ Assitant Editor Wes Morgan has been with Blue & Gold Illustrated since February 2011. He can be reached at wmorgan@blueandgold.com PRESEASON 2012 5