Notre Dame Football: Impact of Drue Tranquill vs. Manti Te’o
By Andrew Hall
In 2012, Manti Te’o impressed the entire college football community with his passionate play on the field and his story off of it. One of those things ended up being (to put it delicately) questioned. Despite his disastrous performance against Alabama, the Hawaiian Linebacker led the Notre Dame team to their first undefeated season since 1988.
Finishing undefeated is no longer possible thanks to the Georgia Bulldogs. But, the College Football Playoff is still a realistic opportunity. Could Notre Dame have a Linebacker making a similar impact in 2017?
Tranquill vs. Te’o
Drue Tranquill, a Senior from Fort Wayne, Indiana, originally committed to Purdue on July 23, 2013. Notre Dame offered soon after in August. Tranquill mulled the decision before committing to the Irish as a Safety. Ironically, Bob Diaco originally wanted Tranquill as a Middle Linebacker.
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After three years at the Safety and two injuries to his ACL, Tranquill found his perfect match with new Defensive Coordinator Mike Elko. Elko’s 4-2-5 defense is perfect for Tranquill’s abilities. He’s athletic but maybe does not posses the top end speed to play Safety. Tranquill tackles well and in the open field. He knows how to get to the Quarterback.
This season, Tranquill has tallied 34 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a fumble recovery, a fumble forces, and an interception. At this pace, the Rover will finish with 68 tackles, 9 tackles of loss, 2 sacks and 4 turnovers forced.
During the 2012 campaign, Te’o collected 113 tackles, 7 interceptions, a sack and 5.5 tackles for loss.
Te’o definitely had a better year than Tranquill is projected to have. But, that does not mean Tranquill is having an All-American caliber season. Tranquill’s final stats will probably be higher than the projections. Notre Dame plays against teams that will demand more playing time. So far, Tranquill has subbed out later in the game because of the significant leads the Irish have possessed. He definitely is making a huge impact on the Irish defense but it is not the same impact that Te’o made. Period.