NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame freshman linebacker Manti Te’o has decided he will return to campus for the spring semester and delay his mission trip for at least one year and possibly until later in his life. Te’o will continue at Notre Dame during his sophomore year and will be a member of the Irish football team in 2010.

Te’o ranked fourth on the team in 2009 with 63 tackles including 5.5 tackles for loss, one sack and added one pass breakup. He played in all 12 games and started nine contests.

The 63 tackles recorded by Te’o were the most by a Notre Dame freshman since 1975 and the third most all time by an Irish freshman (Bob Golic, 82 tackles in 1975; Ross Browner, 68 tackles in 1973).

Te’o became a full-time starter for Notre Dame in the fifth game of the season against Washington, and he ranked second on the Irish with 57 tackles over the final eight games (Safety Kyle McCarthy had 64 tackles in that stretch). Te’o recorded 10 tackles against both Washington and Stanford and totaled nine tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and one pass breakup against Boston College.

A native of Laie, Hawaii, Te’o is enrolled in Notre Dame’s First Year of Studies program.