Manti Te’o‘s return means a lot of things to the Irish. Off the field, Notre Dame will have one of the nation’s premiere student-athletes representing their university. An All-American on and off the field, Te’o will be the unquestioned face of the program heading into a season that’ll have the Irish on center stage.
The decision to come back took many people by surprise, especially with news leaking late Sunday night after an awards banquet in Newport Beach for the Lott IMPACT Award. But Te’o had a chance to discuss the pros and cons of leaving and staying with his family, and in the end the junior couldn’t turn down playing his senior season in South Bend. Te’o discussed some of the reasons that went into coming back for his senior season during an official interview with UND.com.“This was a tough decision, and I found myself praying about it often,” Te’o said. “Ultimately, I really want to experience my senior year at Notre Dame. The happiest moments so far in my life have come when I am spending time with people I love. I wanted to spend another year with my teammates and the coaches on our team. I don’t think any sum of money can replace the memories I can create in my senior year.
“Graduating from Notre Dame is really important to me. Many people encouraged me to go to the NFL because I could always earn my diploma later in life. If I did that, though, I would not have the chance for the same experiences that are ahead of me in my senior year, and I would not have finished at Notre Dame with the guys I started with and care so much about. When I weighed all the factors that went into this decision, it just felt right to stay at Notre Dame.”
Off the field, there’s nothing I could write about Te’o that hasn’t already been said. As Brian Kelly appropriately said, “This is not only a great day for the University of Notre Dame and our football team, it is also a great day for college football.”
But before we get carried away with the ambassador that Te’o is, let’s talk about what his return means to a unit that is shaping up to be one of the most dynamic front sevens in recent Irish memory.
Put simply, with Te’o back, the Irish have the engine that’ll power this defense. Losing Ethan Johnson and Darius Fleming won’t be easy for the Irish coaching staff to stomach, but the Irish couldn’t be in better shape to deal with their departures.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the anticipated depth chart:
2012 Projected Defensive Front Seven
DE
Kapron Lewis-Moore, Grad Student
Stephon Tuitt, Soph.
Aaron Lynch, Soph.
Chase Hounshell, Soph.
Kona Schwenke, Jr.
Jaron Jones, Fr.
Notes: There’s really an embarrassment of riches at defensive end for the Irish, even before you consider a guy like Jones, who’ll likely push for playing time. With Lewis-Moore and Tuitt, the Irish have two bruising 3-4 run-stuffing defensive ends. With Lynch, the Irish have a pass rusher who should see his production increase exponentially. At the very least the Irish can go three deep with impact players, with guys like Hounshell ready to push into the rotation as well.
DT
Sean Cwynar, Grad Student
Louis Nix, Jr.
Tony Springmann, Soph.
Sheldon Day, Fr.
Notes: You’ve got to expect Cwynar back, especially when you look at the depth chart logically. He’s a perfect complement to Nix, who should be ready to take his game to the next level after an impressive first-year campaign. The staff is high on Springmann who offers another mammoth body in the middle, and I’m excited to see what Day can do when he gets to campus. In years past, Day would be the signature recruit that has Irish fans salivating. This year? He’s just another guy.
OLB
Prince Shembo, Jr.
Danny Spond, Jr.
Troy Niklas, Soph.
Ishaq Williams, Soph.
Ben Councell, Soph.
Anthony Rabasa, Soph.
Romeo Okwara, Fr.
Notes: There’s less depth here than you’d think. In all likelihood, Shembo will take over for Fleming at the Cat linebacker position, or at least will compete for the job with Williams, who spelled Fleming this season as a raw but impressive freshman. You’ve got to think that Niklas will get the first chance to start at the Dog backer, with Spond potentially running out of time to make a difference as a position player. If there’s a guy that’s a wildcard, it’s Councell, who saved a year of eligibility, but profiled as a perfect field-side linebacker. The Irish aren’t done recruiting this position either.
ILB
Manti Te’o, Sr.
Dan Fox, Sr.
Carlo Calabrese, Sr.
Kendall Moore, Jr.
Justin Utupo, Jr.
Jarrett Grace, Soph.
Notes: Without Te’o, this group feels filled with question marks. With Te’o, it feels filled with depth. Instead of wondering if Kendall Moore can take Te’o’s place, now the question is how do the Irish find snaps for the talented rising junior. With Fox and Calabrese both returning, the Irish have three interior linebackers that know the ins and outs of Bob Diaco’s system, depth at a position that’s plagued Notre Dame for nearly a decade.
The recipe for protecting a painfully young secondary is an impressive front seven. With Te’o in the middle of the group, expect Bob Diaco and his front seven to protect the back-end of the defense.
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