Manti Te'o explains why Notre Dame can win in today's college football

College football in 2023 is almost unrecognizable from the one former Notre Dame star Manti Te’o experienced in the early 2010s.

His alma mater has adapted to the changing landscape quickly and has enjoyed immense success with their ventures into the world of NIL and the transfer portal — both of which have been critical to Notre Dame’s success this season. But does the former first-round draft choice believe it is enough for the Irish to make it all the way to the College Football Playoff?

“I definitely think it’s possible. I think with the NIL stuff and the transfer portal, it’s a double-edged sword in my opinion. Some schools are using it as leverage,” Te’o said on the Pat McAfee Show. “I know Notre Dame, they stand on their morals and I don’t think they’ll ever change on that front. But I think it’s going to change and we have the chance to take it to the top because of Marcus Freeman and who he is. You talk to any of the players there, he’s a player’s coach.

“All of us who played the game, it definitely makes a difference when you have a coach that you would literally run through a wall for. You have one of my favorite coaches over (in the studio) in Coach (Chuck Pagano), just one of those guys you love, not just because of football, but outside of the game. They’re invested in you and Coach Freeman definitely has done that for that team. I believe in them, from what I have seen the past few weeks. It’s a different team, it’s a different feel.”

The different feel has resulted in four convincing wins for Marcus Freeman to begin his second year as Notre Dame’s head coach. All of that has led up to Saturday’s matchup against Ohio State at home, which could serve as Freeman’s signature win of the regular season if the Irish were to win.

Notre Dame has one of the most efficient offenses in the country heading into the weekend led by the arm of veteran transfer quarterback Sam Hartman and legs of running back Audric Estime. Together, they’re responsible for 18 of the Irish’s 23 touchdowns this season and have this Irish offense scoring 46 points per game thus far.

If they can replicate their past scoring performances against the Buckeyes, the sky is the limit for Notre Dame under Marcus Freeman in 2023.