Junior linebacker Manti Te'o announced Sunday night he will remain at Notre Dame for his senior year.

Manti Te'o Named To Capital One Academic All-America Second Team

Dec. 8, 2011

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame junior linebacker Manti Te’o has received many accolades for his performance on the football field this year, but Thursday he was honored for his effort in the classroom.

Te’o was selected to the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America second team Thursday, as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America. He is the 56th Academic All-America honoree from the football program. Notre Dame ranks third nationally in all-time Academic All-Americans in football. There have been 37 first-team selections, 17 second-team honorees, one third-team selection and one honorable mention choice.

Notre Dame ranks second all-time with 222 Academic All-Americans since the program’s inception in 1952.

To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.

Te’o has registered a 3.37 cumulative grade-point average as a design major. He was a finalist for the Butkus Award, presented to college football’s top linebacker, and Te’o is a finalist for the Lott Trophy, given to the top defensive player that also has excelled in the classroom and the community.

The junior from Laie, Hawaii, leads the Irish with 115 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and four and a half sacks. Te’o was the 10th player in Notre Dame history to record 300 career tackles and he currently ranks eighth in school history with 311 career stops.

Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.

For more information about the Academic All-America Teams program, please visit the official CoSIDA web site at cosida.com, and for more on Notre Dame’s Academic All-America success, please visit the UND.com Academic All-Americans Page.

-ND-