Notre Dame Football: Players You Need to Know Now Besides Manti Te'o

Manti Te'o will be Notre Dame's unquestioned leader during the 2012 season. The All-American linebacker's supporting cast is what you really need to familiarize yourself with.

Te'o's supporting cast is a mix of players from the Charlie Weis era, as well as players who have been brought in by current head coach Brian Kelly. And in Year Three of Kelly's tenure, his spread offense and 3-4 defense are expected to take off.

For a closer look at the players who will surround Te'o as vital pieces in the 2012 season, take a look at the following slide.

Enjoy.

Louis Nix, NG

An elite defense begins with a dominant defensive line. Notre Dame has the luxury of saying it has a high-caliber defensive line even without former defensive end Aaron Lynch.

The key to this year's front line will be red-shirt sophomore nose guard Louis Nix. The 6'3", 326-pound Jacksonville, Fla. product is a beastly presence up front and, obviously, has the size to plug up the A-gaps.

With Nix commanding attention on the interior, opportunities to attack the backfield will present themselves for Irish pass-rushers on the edges.

As long as Nix is on the field, the Irish will be an excellent run-stopping team.

Jamoris Slaughter, S

In a scarily young defensive secondary, safety Jamoris Slaughter will provide invaluable leadership. The fifth-year senior has been a stalwart in each of Brian Kelly's first two seasons on the job.

Slaughter's presence on the field will take on added significance this season, as he is also able to play cornerback, a position that will be more than thin this season.

The native of Stone Mountain, Ga. is also a valuable asset against the option, as fans have seen when the Irish have taken on the option offenses that Navy, Army and Air Force execute to near perfection.

Braxston Cave, C

Notre Dame's greatest strength in 2012 will be its offensive line, led by center Braxston Cave. The fifth-year senior boasts the most experience on the line, having been a starter the last two seasons. 

Cave's ability to read the defense and call out the proper line adjustments will be critical to an offense that will be led by a first-year starter at quarterback this season.

Avoiding injury will also be a major concern for Cave, as he missed the final four games of the 2011 season with a mid-foot sprain. After successful offseason surgery, Cave appears to be 100 percent healthy.

Zack Martin, LT

Aside from Braxston Cave, left tackle Zack Martin is the most critical piece to the Fighting Irish offensive line.

Martin, as the left tackle, is responsible for protecting the blindside of whomever is named starting quarterbacks, as Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix, Everett Golson and Gunner Kiel are all right-handed passers.

Luckily for those quarterback, Martin is considered one the nation's elite tackles and has been one of the team's most consistent players as a starter during the past two seasons.

Cierre Wood, RB

Because the Fighting Irish offense will be lead by a first-year starting quarterback, the run game is likely to be emphasized. That means an expanded role for senior running back Cierre Wood.

Wood is coming off an outstanding 2011 season that saw the California product eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career at Notre Dame. In 2012, amassing 1,500 rushing yards is not out of the question for Wood.

The largest question surrounding Wood is whether or not he is durable enough to shoulder the load of the carries this season, with his former running mate, Jonas Gray, now playing professionally for the NFL's Miami Dolphins.

Wood carried the ball 217 times last season. Can he handle more this season?

Tyler Eifert, TE

With Michael Floyd having moved on to the professional ranks, tight end Tyler Eifert takes over as Notre Dame's main target in the passing game.

The 6'6", 251-pound Eifert is, without question, the nation's best tight end and is expected to be the first tight end selected in the 2013 NFL draft.

Eifert is coming off a record season in which he racked up 803 receiving yards on 63 receptions, along with five touchdowns. The 2012 season will likely see Eifert accumulate 1,000 receiving yards, which is considered a rare occurrence for a tight end.