Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o wants to be there for his teammates, despite losing "some people very close to him," according to coach Brian Kelly.

Te'o's grandmother and a friend, who had been battling leukemia, died this week, according to reports.

Kelly told reporters Thursday that the senior will still play for No. 20 Notre Dame (2-0) against No. 10 Michigan State (2-0) on Saturday night.

"It's obviously taken a toll on him," Kelly said. "Our players have been there for him and have been a great support. We'll support him.

"Unfortunately, he's gone through a very rough 24, 48 hours. But his support and his family at home have been great, and all of the coaches and players have been there for him. He wants to be with his teammates, he wants to be with the people that care about him. He's a strong man and he's going through a tough time, but he'll rise to the occasion."

Kelly said he wasn't sure if Te'o will need to leave the team for a while to go back home to Laie, Hawaii.

"We've had some preliminary conversations about it," Kelly said. "We've got a bye week coming up. But we'll see how things go."