REPORT FROM NOTRE DAME – Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o was selected as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy on Monday, along with Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein and Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Te’o, the only non-quarterback among the finalists, provided strong senior leadership for a Notre Dame club that ran the table and is playing for its first national championship in the BCS era.
Te’o had seven interceptions and 103 tackles for the Irish (12-0), who will take on Alabama in the Discover BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 7 in Miami.
Te’o is trying to become the first defense-only player to win a Heisman and the eighth player from Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have had seven Heisman winners, tied for the most, but none since Tim Brown in 1987.
Te’o, who has already captured the 2012 Walter Camp Player of the Year and Butkus Award, is also a finalist for the Nagurski, Campbell, Lombardi, Bednarik, Maxwell and Lott Trophies.