During his heyday, few players had as much instant recognition as former Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te’o. The former consensus All-American linebacker who later spent eight seasons in the NFL is back in the limelight recently thanks to the wildly popular two-part Netflix documentary special titled Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist.
On Saturday, before Marcus Freeman’s Fighting Irish were set to take on the California Golden Bears, Te’o walked out onto the field at Notre Dame Stadium to present the United States of America flag, and even he likely couldn’t have predicted he’d receive such a strong reception.
Just listen to those roars. They sound even bigger and even louder than when Te’o was racking up tackles and making game-winning plays in South Bend.
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Manti Te’o may have moved on from Notre Dame, but his impact is everlasting
It may be 10 years later now since the former Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner last took the field in a Notre Dame uniform, but seeing and hearing the warm welcome like the one Te’o received still sends chills down the spine. Te’o had a great career, and it’s only right for him to be able to soak up the love as he inspired so many current and future athletes on and off the field.
Te’o finished with 437 career tackles in four years at Notre Dame, it still ranks third all-time in school history. He was selected 38th overall by the then-San Diego Chargers in the 2013 NFL Draft and started 48 games in the league for two different teams, later joining the New Orleans Saints.
He may be retired from professional football these days, having last been on an NFL roster in 2020 with the Chicago Bears, but it’s clear, Te’o’s impact has continued on. Especially among the Notre Dame faithful. Te’o also gave spectators a pre-game speech, and as predicted, it fired everyone up, just as he used to before the games begun during his playing days.
Maybe Te’o can be the inspiration they need to get their first win of the season after a painful 0-2 start.
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