Over the last two weeks Irish LB Manti Te'o has been showing the kind of ability pundits see as they peg him to be a first round draft pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Tonight, however, is not a time to be thinking of the on-field success of Notre Dame's leading tackler.

To clarify #NotreDame LB Manti Te'o personal losses: Grandmother passed, then hours later, a close friend who was battling leukemia died.

— Brian Hamilton (@ChiTribHamilton) September 13, 2012

It's impossible to imagine what Te'o is going through. Losing a grandparent is difficult enough, especially for a young man under the immense pressure week in, week out that Manti is, but to compound this with losing a close friend is incomprehensible.

Currently there is no indication whether the 21-year-old senior will play in Saturday night's game against Michigan State, and it's too early to talk about the impact on the Irish if he's unable to play. All we can do is send our thoughts and wishes to Manti Te'o, and hope he gets through these tragedies as best he can.

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