Are you a major college ballcarrier who has been leveled by a linebacker this season?

If so, there’s a decent chance the license plate of the truck that hit you carries the designation: "Aloha State."

The two most prolific tacklers atop the statistics this season, the NCAA tells us, are linebackers, and both from here: Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o (Punahou) and the University of Hawaii’s Corey Paredes (Castle).

They average 13.50 and 13.25 tackles per game, respectively.

Theirs is an impressive distinction, though hardly an anomaly. "What it means," suggests WAC-TV analyst and former head coach Dick Tomey, "is that Hawaii produces some very good linebackers."

To be sure, the 1-2 standing by Te’o and Paredes is quite a testament considering Hawaii ranks 42nd among states in population. But maybe not all that big of a surprise when you think about it.

Consider that a study by the Tulsa World newspaper earlier this year rated Honolulu (4.6 per 1,000 high school age boys) the most productive city in turning out major college football players and had Hawaii (3.8) the foremost cradle among states.

As Hawaii exports go, linebackers are right up there with pineapples and Kona coffee.

This season, there are more than 20 linebackers from Hawaii on major college rosters, about half of them starters, everywhere from UH to Texas Tech.

And the state has annually ranked high in NFL players turned out per capita.

Nor is it exactly a new trend. Witness the exploits of Kurt Gouveia, Al Harris, Gary Campbell and Brian Cabral among many.

Te’o and Paredes represent the recent bookends of the Hawaii phenomena, the can’t-miss talent and emerging success story; the 6-foot-2, 245-pound prototype and the 5-10 230-pounder carving his own niche.

Te’o was the nation’s most heavily recruited linebacker prospect two years ago and, on some lists, the top defensive player overall.

Meanwhile, there was Paredes, who two years previous (2007) couldn’t convince UH to let him walk on immediately. Although enrolled in the fall of 2007, Paredes had to wait until spring 2008 to get a uniform and a shot on the field, and then had to painstakingly work himself up from a special teams opening.

In addition to an assembly-line-like production of linemen, Hawaii turns out some defensive backs, running backs, quarterbacks and even, on occasion, a kicker or two. But the linebacker position, more than most, suits the body types and typifies the temperament, spirit and attributes a lot of Hawaii players bring to the field.

What Te’o and Paredes have in common — and share with many who came before them — is what UH associate head coach Rich Miano likes to describe as a "nose-for-the-football" instinct and "off-the-charts toughness."

Which means they arrive at the ball fast and with an attitude.

The "Aloha State" indeed, just not on the football field, especially this season.