MANTI TE'O NAMED BUTKUS AWARD RECIPIENT

Punahou senior linebacker and highly coveted national recruit Manti Te'o was named the first ever high school recipient of the Dick Butkus Award on Friday, December 5th. The award was presented to Te'o by legendary linebacker for whom the award is named on the Punahou campus and is traditionally awarded to collegiate linebackers. The Butkus Foundation expanded the award to the high school level and it is an amazing accomplishment on Manti's growing list of accolades as he prepares to move up to the college ranks.

How good is this kid? Just this year alone, he's been named Interscholastic League of Honolulu Defensive Player of the Year, Gatorade Hawai'i Football Player of the Year, All-ILH first team defense selection, and All-State Defensive Player of the Year. And, he's being heavily recruited by nearly every big name university in the nation, but he's narrowed down his list of possible addresses to Brigham Young, Notre Dame, USC, UCLA and Stanford.

If that's still not enough, check this out.....Oh yeah, he's also a great student in the classroom, an Eagle Scout and volunteer's in his community.