How can't you vote for Manti?

With the the regular season over and the National Championship on deck for the Irish, the only question left is whether or not Manti Te'o will win the Heisman Trophy. After a big win against USC and an interception, Manti will definitely be a top candidate. Along with Te'o, two other players stand out as finalists. The primary competitor for Manti is Johnny Manziel. Manziel, a freshman, is having an impressive season with 3,419 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. Although Johnny Football is a freshman, he has one very big performance that helped Notre Dame become the #1 team in the nation. When Manziel and the Aggies upset Alabama, Manziel jumped to the nations favorite. The freshman may be a favorite but Manti has the heart of the people.

The Heisman Trophy recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Manti started his pursuit of excellence back in 2009 when he chose to attend Notre Dame. Now, coming to a close on his last season, Te'o has recorded a career total 427 tackles (103 this season) along with 7 interceptions this season. He has performed outstandingly to say the least. The Heisman trust also states that the winner epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. Johnny Manziel works hard, but has he worked hard for five straight seasons like Manti did? Collin Klein showed diligence leading the Wildcats this season but not like Te'o. Te'o came back to Notre Dame for another season after having the option to enter in the NFL draft, and has lead the Irish all the way to a National Championship. Obviously the middle linebacker from Hawaii qualifies to win the Heisman Trophy.

 

Voters should take Brian Kelly's advice when he says "If a guy like Manti Te'o is not going to win the Heisman, they should just make it an offensive award. Just give it to the offensive player every year and let's just cut to the chase... If the Heisman Trophy is what it is, I don't know how Manti Te'o is left out of that conversation." Te'o is hard worker who displays amazing heart and effort on the football field and more importantly in the classroom. Manti having gone through the season he has, losing his grandmother and girlfriend, makes him a player that the nation wants to see succeed. Succeed he has. But he still doesn't have the voters convinced. Right now Manti is right behind Johnny Football in the race for the Heisman. Saturday, December 8th will reveal if Manti will be the second player defensive player ever to win the Heisman. No matter if Manti wins or loses he still has the National Championship ahead.