Why is T'eo a Heisman finalist? Is it for his leadership? Or just because he plays for the Irish? Because on paper he looks like a very good player but not Heisman worthy. I mean, I was looking at his stats then compared them to one of our freshman, Denzel Nkemdiche. Te'o: 103 tkls, 5.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, 7 picks, and 0 forced fumbles. Nkemdiche: 78 tckls, 12 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 3 picks, and 4 forced fumbles. Te'o is 61st in NCAA in tackles, isn't in top 100 in TFL, but he is 4th in INT's.