LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — From Notre Dame’s unbeaten regular season to college football’s biggest awards, Manti Te’o just keeps winning.
Now the linebacker needs two more victories to cap an unforgettable senior season.
Te’o was honoured three times at the 22nd Home Depot College Football Awards show Thursday night at Disney World, including the Maxwell Award for the nation’s most outstanding player.
Te’o has now won six major awards since the end of Notre Dame’s regular season, also taking home the Bednarik Award for top defensive player and Walter Camp Foundation player of the year award on Thursday. He became the first defensive player to win the Maxwell Award since 1980, ending a string of nine straight quarterbacks.
Next up is the Heisman Trophy ceremony on Saturday night, with Te’o and Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel considered the favourites. Then Te’o will try to help the Fighting Irish dethrone defending champion Alabama in the BCS national championship game.
“I’m at a loss for words,” he said of winning the Maxwell. “The last time I ever dreamt of winning that award was on a video game. So to win it is a mind-blowing experience.”
Wearing a black beaded lei representing his native Hawaii, Te’o said coming back to play football following the deaths of his grandmother and girlfriend just four days apart this season makes everything he’s achieved since then more worthwhile.
“I never thought that me coming back for my senior year would be the best situation for me with the tragedy,” Te’o said. “It’s a testament that the Lord answered my prayers and that I had 80-plus brothers there with me, sacrificing for me.”
Te’o finished the regular season with 103 tackles and seven interceptions.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, who was presented with the Coach of the Year award after leading the Irish to their first 12-0 regular season since 1988, said Te’o is an example of the family culture he’s tried to build in his three seasons in South Bend.
“Everybody knows you don’t do it with one guy,” Kelly said. “Collectively, everybody just bought in. ... We still got one (game) left. We want to finish it off the right way.”
While Te’o and Notre Dame certainly had a big night, so too did Texas A&M. Manziel won the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and junior offensive lineman Luke Joeckel took home the Outland Trophy for the nation’s best interior lineman.
Other players honoured Thursday were Southern California’s Marqise Lee (Biletnikoff Award for top receiver), Tulane’s Cairo Santos (Lou Groza Award for top kicker), Louisiana Tech’s Ryan Allen (Ray Guy Award for top punter), Mississippi State’s Johnthan Banks (Jim Thorpe Award for top defensive back), and Wisconsin’s Montee Ball (Doak Walker Award for top running back).
Manziel acknowledged he will be nervous Saturday knowing he has a chance to win college football’s most hallowed individual honour. Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein is the third finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
Three sophomores have won the Heisman, including Tim Tebow in 2007, Sam Bradford in 2008 and Mark Ingram in 2009. The best a first-year player has ever done is second.
“I had high expectations, but I never would have expected this for myself,” said Manziel, a redshirt freshman. “I’ll be with two of the best players in the country, all eyes are on you. It’s the biggest award in college football. I think you’re gonna have a few butterflies.”