Newsstand: Former Notre Dame LB Manti Te'o returning to campus for Cal game

Notre Dame is welcoming a football icon back to campus this weekend. Former Irish linebacker Manti Te’o is returning for Saturday’s game vs. Cal (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC) and will spend some time around the team before kickoff, a team spokesperson informed reporters Tuesday.

Te’o will walk with the team on its “Victory March” from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart to the stadium around noon ET Saturday following pregame Mass. He will also speak with the media before the game.

Te’o, 31, is an NFL free agent last played with the Chicago Bears in 2020. His highly visible Notre Dame career and publicized personal life during his final season came back in the spotlight in August when Netflix released a documentary called “UNTOLD: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist.” The two-hour film detailed the catfishing hoax that targeted him and was exposed a couple weeks after Notre Dame’s BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.

At Notre Dame, Te’o was a unanimous All-American and a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2012. He won seven individual awards that season, including the Maxwell and Bednarik awards that are presented annually to the best player in college football.

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Te’o was a second-round pick of the then-San Diego Chargers in 2013. He has played 62 regular-season games across eight NFL seasons, making 307 tackles.

Notre Dame Tweets of the Day

The 0-2 start is wearing on everyone.

Notre Dame’s 0-2 start makes Bo Bauer “sick.”

“I’m at a loss of words because if you could see everyday how we treat each other and how close this family really is compared to how it was when I first got here and how different things are, it would make no sense to you either.” pic.twitter.com/YJJdtfgYQ9
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) September 14, 2022

New starter Drew Pyne’s teammates notice his enthusiasm.

☘️ @jluggnut with great insight on QB @dpyne10 #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/CFihhw7UMb
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 14, 2022

The other side of Saturday’s loss.

"This was just an opportunity for us to show, on a national scene, what Marshall and our players and our program is all about."

—@HerdFB head coach Charles Huff following Marshall's victory over Notre Dame pic.twitter.com/AOI8zfXZVc
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) September 14, 2022

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Quote of the Day

“You guys know Drew. His care-factor is through the roof. He gives a s***, a lot. He’s going to walk in the building and do everything in his power Saturday. That’s just who the kid is, and that’s why he’s here. He has that energy. He kind of has that respect of his teammates that can inject some life into our group right now, which we need. “

– Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees on new starting QB Drew Pyne