SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame was without its team MVP Friday, with Manti Te'o in New York for tomorrow's Heisman Trophy presentation. Nineteen of Notre Dame's players were honored at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center for a litany of awards, as listed below:
Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year: Nick Fitzpatrick
Note: Native of nearby Mishawaka walked on to Notre Dame honored in his senior season.
Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year: Tyler Stockton
Note: Was a four-star defensive tackle out of high school, also honored in his senior season.
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Offensive Newcomer Player of the Year: Everett Golson
Note: Completed 166 of 282 passes for 2,135 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Defensive Newcomer Player of the Year: KeiVarae Russell
Note: A natural running back, Russell moved to cornerback when Lo Wood was injured before the season and had two interceptions and two passes broken up in his freshman campaign.
Irish Around the Bend Award (community services): Mike Golic Jr.
Note: Moved into starting role at guard after serving as a backup his first three years on campus.
A-Team Award: Kapron Lewis-Moore
Note: One of Notre Dame's four captains, Lewis-Moore recorded a career-high six sacks with 39 tackles.
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Count On Me Award: Theo Riddick
Note: Moved back to running back for his senior season, Riddick rushed for 880 yards and five touchdowns.
Father Lange Iron Cross Award: Braxston Cave
Note: A finalist for the Rimington Award, given annually to the nation's top center, Cave started all 12 games for Notre Dame in his final year of eligibility.
Special Teams Player of the Year: Kyle Brindza
Note: Thrust into the placekicking role when Nick Tausch was injured early in the season, Brindza made 23 of 31 attempts, including five of six in Notre Dame's 22-13 win over USC Nov. 24.
Pietrosante Award: John Goodman, Robby Toma
Notes: Three of Goodman's seven receptions went for touchdowns in 2012, while Toma caught 24 passes for 252 yards in his senior year.
Moose Krause Defensive Lineman of the Year: Louis Nix III, Stephon Tuitt
Notes: One of the nation's best defensive tackle-end pairings, Tuitt's 11 sacks ranked No. 12 nationally, while Nix totaled 45 tackles (5 12 for a loss), 2 sacks, 1 fumble forced and 5 passes broken up.
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Zack Martin
Note: One of Notre Dame's captains, Martin was a major part of the Irish allowing only 16 sacks this season, the 29th-best total among FBS teams.
Rockne Student-Athelte Award: Danny Spond
Note: Spond recovered from debilitating migraines early in the season to serve as a key contributor in pass defense as Notre Dame's "dog" linebacker.
Next Man in Award: Tommy Rees
Note: Led a game-winning drives against Purdue and Stanford and guided Notre Dame to wins over Michigan and BYU while spelling Everett Golson at quarterback.
Offensive Player of the Year: Tyler Eifert
Note: Won the Mackey Award and appears destined for a first-round selection in April's NFL Draft.
Defensive Player of the Year: Zeke Motta
Note: Racked up 61 tackles and broke up two passes while helping hold together a piecemeal secondary that wound up being better than expected.
MVP: Manti Te'o
Note: One sentence doesn't do him justice.