Thursday, December 6, 2012

Te'o takes home multiple awards; Heisman next?

All season long, Manti Te'o has been a dominant force on the field. Now, he's becoming a dominant force off it as well.

In the past week, Te'o has won the Butkus Award (nation's best linebacker), the Nagurski Award (best defensive player), the Lombardi Award (best lineman or linebacker) and now the Walter Camp Award (national player of the year).

"Manti Te'o's performance on and off the football field has made him an outstanding recipient of the Walter Camp Player of the Year award," Walter Camp Football Foundation President John Marks said. "His consistency, leadership, and perseverance have been trademarks of the Fighting Irish's outstanding 2012 season."

The linebacker hopes he can add one more accomplishment to his growing list of awards: Heisman Trophy winner.

But if history tells us anything, maybe Te'o was better off not winning the Walter Camp. In seven of the past 10 seasons, the winner of the Heisman was different from the winner of the Walter Camp. And if the projections are to be believed, it looks like Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel will take home college football's top individual prize this Saturday.

Which leads us to the following question: Will a defensive player ever win the award? Ndamukong Suh was the last defensive player to be a Heisman finalist, but Te'o is the most attractive defensive candidate ever. He plays at Notre Dame, who finished the season No. 1 and undefeated, and has the stats to back it up. If he doesn't win it, will a defensive player ever get it?

Manti Te'o will be in New York Saturday for the Heisman Trophy presentation.


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