In the present, Notre Dame football fans have plenty to gripe about. A 2011 season which started with high hopes of a BCS bowl berth dissolved within a few plays of the start of the season, and from there, things never really got better. The Irish finished at 8-4, with losses to rivals USC, Michigan and Stanford, and their only marquee win of note against Michigan State.
But for whatever grumbling the Irish have in the present, the future just got a bit brighter. That’s because on Sunday, All-American caliber linebacker Manti Te’o announced that he has decided to skip the NFL Draft, and will instead return for his senior year in South Bend.
Te’o made the announcement at an awards dinner for the Lott Impact Trophy, and was first reported by Fox Sports’ Lisa Horne. Te’o told Horne, “I feel like I’m not done at Notre Dame. I’ll be coming back to Notre Dame.”
And just like that, expectations will again be high in South Bend entering the 2012 season.
Alone, Te’o’s return doesn’t make them a National Championship front-runner, or quite frankly even close. But it does solidify a strong defense that ranked 28th nationally in points allowed, and returns plenty of young talent. While defensive backs Robert Blanton, Harrison Smith and Gary Gray will be gone, fellow linebacker Prince Shembo is returning, as are impact true freshman Aaron Lynch and Stephen Tuitt along the defensive line. Add in a strong returning offensive core, and there’s no reason to see why the Irish won’t begin 2012 in the preseason Top 20. Much like this year, actually.
Still, whatever the expectations will be in South Bend, the present is a time to celebrate. Quite frankly the Te’o news was actually a bit shocking.
The linebacker has been considered a high-level NFL prospect since well before he even arrived in South Bend. Coming out of high school in Hawaii, he was a five-star recruit, and one of the last great signings by the Charlie Weis regime. The Irish won a wild recruiting battle with USC, UCLA and BYU, amongst literally just about every other school in the country. There didn’t seem to be a college football program anywhere that didn’t have interest in Te’o.
And once he arrived at Notre Dame, Te’o didn’t disappoint. As a freshman during a tumultuous 2009 season, he was one of the few bedrocks of the team, finishing fourth in total tackles on an otherwise average Notre Dame team which finished 6-6 and ended the season with Weis’ firing. As a sophomore in 2010 Te’o led the team in tackles 129, and followed up in 2011 with by doing the same. Along the way he was named a Sports Illustrated All-American in 2010 and a Walter Camp All-American this season.
Now the question of course is, how good will Te’o’s return make the 2012 Irish?
It’s no secret that viewed through the prism of their own expectations, many would say that this season was a disappointment or at the very least an unsatisfying season that left fans feeling like there was potential for more. While eight wins is nothing to scoff at, it’s more about who those eight wins were against which is truly what’s relevant. Of the Irish’s victories, just four were to teams who ultimately qualified for bowl games (Pittsburgh, Air Force, Wake Forest and Michigan State) and only the win against the Spartans was against a ranked team. Meanwhile, Notre Dame lost to the three best teams on their schedule, Michigan, USC and Stanford, and one team (South Florida) who didn’t even finish bowl eligible. And while those first three losses are absolutely explainable (each of those three won at least 10 games, and two are playing in BCS bowls), it was still frustrating for a team which fancied itself as a national player entering this year. Of more concern is that two of those games (Michigan and USC) were winnable, and the Irish just couldn’t make the plays needed to win them. Closing out games will be the biggest factor as to whether Notre Dame reaches their expectations in 2012.
Speaking of which, with Te’o back, those expectations just hit the fast-track entering next season. His presence is especially crucial as the Irish will face their toughest schedule in years. They will play true road games at both USC, Oklahoma (both will likely be Top 15 teams entering the preseason) and Michigan State, a program which has won 21 games and counting over the last two years. They’ll also face Miami on a neutral field, Michigan and BYU at home, and a season-opener against the always tough Navy Midshipmen.
It won’t be an easy 2012 campaign for Notre Dame.
Getting back Te’o just made things a lot easier though.
For all his articles, opinions and insights on college football, be sure to follow Aaron Torres on Twitter @Aaron_Torres.
