SOUTH BEND, Ind. — He is the "other" player from Hawai'i on the Notre Dame football roster behind celebrated Manti Te'o, but receiver Roby Toma is far from forgotten.

"Talk to any of the (defensive backs) he goes against in practice and they will tell you Roby will be special in his own right," said cornerback Mike Anello. "You wait and see."

Toma, Lai'e neighbor and Punahou School teammate of Te'o, is often viewed as an add-on to the hotly contested recruiting deal that allowed Notre Dame the coup of landing his childhood friend.

But coaches and teammates say it would be a mistake to sell the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Toma, well, short on his own abilities. "We love Roby," head coach Charlie Weis said. "Everyone thinks that when Roby came over here, he was a throw in, but that's not the case. Not the case at all."

At Notre Dame, freshmen are not permitted to do interviews in the first half of the season. But teammates say Toma, The Advertiser's 2008 State Co-Offensive player of the year, has made it clear from his approach to practice and training that he did not come to South Bend to be his childhood friend's "caddy." Said Anello: "He's here to play; to win his own spot (in the lineup)."

In fact, Weis maintains, it is not a foregone conclusion that Toma, who has yet to play, will be redshirted. "With Michael (Floyd) down, he's sitting as our seventh receiver, which is close to being in the two-deep. He's one injury away from being in the top six and if he ends up being in the top six, he'll play."

Weis said, "We really like him, especially as a slot (receiver); he's dynamic as a slot receiver and reminds me of Wayne Chrebet, who I had with the (New York Jets)."

Chrebet, at 5 feet 10 and 188 pounds, played 11 years in the NFL.

"He (Toma) has made a bunch of plays right from the start of training camp," Weis said. "He's small but tough and is one of the better blockers we have, pound for pound."

Anello said, "He's a hard-nosed kid and I like working with him because I think he can excel on special teams, too. But as a receiver he's got great footwork and is so quick. Give him another year or so and you'll be hearing about him, too."