Manti Te’o was born in Laie, Hawaii, on January 26, 1991. Manti Te’o ethnicity is Mixed since he has Samoan ancestry in addition to being Hawaiian-American in nationality. He will be 32 years old in 2023. Manti Te’o has five siblings: BrieAnne, Tiare, Eden, Maya, and Manasseh. He is the son of Brian and Ottilia Te’o.
He attended and participated in sports at Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii. As a junior in 2007, Te’o won the Gatorade state player of the year and the Honolulu Advertiser’s state defensive player of the year awards. He amassed 400 yards and ten touchdowns as a rushing back in addition to 90 tackles and five sacks on defense, earning him first-team all-state honors.
During his senior year in 2008, Te’o assisted Punahou in capturing its first-ever state football championship. He became the first athlete of Polynesian heritage and a Hawaiian to win the 2008 Sporting News High School Athlete of the Year award. Te’o, who also attended Punahou and Notre Dame, is just the third Hawaii high school athlete to be nominated to the USA Today All-American team, joining Pat Kesi in 1990 and Jason Ching in 1995.
He was thought to be one of the top prospects in the 2009 class. On National Signing Day in 2009, Te’o declared his commitment to the University of Notre Dame. He played football at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 2009 to 2012. He started his first collegiate game when the Irish played Purdue.
