SOUTH BEND, Ind. - On any other day, save for a national championship or a monumental upset of USC, the commitment of junior defensive end Chris Martin to Notre Dame would have earned headlines among the media that cover the Irish.

But not last Wednesday.

While Martin’s commitment is considered big in that the Oakland, Calif., product is a coveted prospect at a position of need for ND, it paled compared to what had happened across the Pacific in Honolulu.

That was where Manti Te‘o, perhaps the nation’s top linebacker, was donning a Notre Dame hat and signing his national letter-of-intent, giving Charlie Weis his biggest recruiting splash this side of Jimmy Clausen.

Big for a number of reasons.

First, it came on signing day, a day when many of the nation’s premier prospects wait to announce their choices, and a day when Notre Dame has gone, for the most part, quiet during the Weis Era.

Second, it came on the defensive side of the ball, where Weis hasn’t had nearly the recruiting success as he’s had on offense.

And third, because many already had Te‘o, a senior at Honolulu's Punahou School, ticketed for USC, the school that regularly wins these types of battles.

But when Te‘o awoke last Wednesday at 5 a.m., after a night of prayer and a few hours sleep, the decision hit him.

"I finally decided I've got to do this," the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Te'o said. "Notre Dame has always been on my mind. I just sat there and I fell asleep for a couple hours and then I woke up and had that feeling like, 'You know what? Notre Dame is where I've got to go, and that's where I'll go.'

"I had to take out football because football can only take you so far," he said. "I wanted to make sure that the school I would to go to, no matter what, if I got hurt in football or if football didn't go that well, I would still be there. I just feel that with Notre Dame's tradition and their athletics and their academics, it'll be a perfect fit."

Many see Te‘o soon fitting into the Irish starting lineup. He played in last month’s Under Armour All-America Game, and it was there that he drew the attention of then-opponent and now-future teammate Zach Martin, an offensive lineman.

"It just seemed like he was on a different level than everyone," Martin said. "It's a huge get."

Huge in more than one way. Not only is Notre Dame getting a standout on the field, but off it as well.

Te‘o is an Eagle Scout. He’s volunteered with the Special Olympics. He’s worked with the Shriners Hospital for Children and early childhood programs.

"Football is something I love to do," Te'o said, "but it's not something that fully describes me."

Fully describing him is difficult. He’s a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, yet he chose the nation’s most visible Catholic college.

He’s from one of the most beautiful spots on earth, yet chose a climate that can be ugly between November and March. He got a taste of the cold weather during his November official visit, but first saw Irish players get hit by snowballs thrown from the student section, then moved inside for the second half because of the cold weather, and finally watched ND lose to Syracuse.

“He has always been one who wanted to paddle his own canoe,” his father, Brian, told the Salt Lake Tribune.

And that helped land him in South Bend. In a year, Te‘o could be facing a decision, and that’s a potential mission that could take him away from the team for up to two years, something Weis is completely on board with.

“We’ll see what happens when the time comes,” Te‘o said.

Until then, expect Te‘o to plow ahead with the work he does off the football field.

"I feel you've got to always be an example," he said. "It's not always about you. It's about something bigger than you. It's about being a good person. If I can show others how to just be a good person and take care of each other, that's my main goal."

Toma makes it 18
Te'o wasn't the only Punahou standout to sign with Notre Dame. Two days after signing day, 5-10, 175-pound slot receiver Roby Toma made it official. Toma had been committed to UCLA but didn't sign on signing day. He had been offered by Notre Dame about a month ago. Toma had 1,393 receiving yards and 15 TD receptions as a senior.

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