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Check out this feature on Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour. Lars Anderson writes:

At Benet Academy...LeFevour played in a rush-heavy double wing. Because he attempted only a dozen passes a game, he attracted little interest from I-A schools. Even after he sent video to 30 programs, including Notre Dame and every team in the Big Ten, he received scholarship offers only from Central Michigan, Ball State, Eastern Michigan and Eastern Illinois. "I went to football camps and thought I had as much talent as anyone, but looking back I was just raw," says LeFevour, whom some NFL scouts rate as a first- or second-round pick. "I had to learn how to be a quarterback."

In what was a fairly obvious choice, Central Michigan players have again elected senior quarterback Dan LeFevour and junior linebacker Nick Bellore co-captains.

LeFevour, a Benet graduate who is entering his fourth season as Central Michigan's starting quarterback, will lead the Chippewas into Arizona for Saturday night's season opener.

LeFevour and Bellore were co-captains in 2008. They will be joined by one or two gameday captains that are elected on a weekly basis throughout the season.

Dan LeFevour is back in the spotlight. On Monday the Central Michigan senior was one of 33 quarterbacks named to the Davey O'Brien Award watch list. The honor goes to the country's best college quarterback.

Last week the Chippewas were picked to win the Mid-American Conference West Division and the MAC championship game in the conference's preseason poll.

The university has also put up another LeFevour billboard at Comerica Park, across the street from Ford Field in Detroit.

The 6-foot-3-inch quarterback out of Benet ranks 14th in NCAA Bowl Subdivision history with 11,702 yards of total offense. Among active Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks, LeFevour enters 2009 first in career completions, attempts and total offense, second in passing yards and fourth in touchdown passes.

Central Michigan opens at Arizona on Sept. 5 and then travels to Michigan State on Sept. 12.

(Photo courtesy of Central Michigan / ESPN.com.)

One of the points we tried to make in this column was how inexact recruiting is, no matter what the experts say. Perhaps the best example local example is Dan LeFevour, the Benet graduate who was shunned by the Big Ten schools but entered Central Michigan and then the Heisman Trophy conversation. Area coaches should probably keep that unexpected story on file for the next several years.

As it turns out, LeFevour and the Chippewas will open the 2009 season on Sept. 5 at Arizona, a school that is trying to make recruiting inroads in Illinois (more on that later).

By the way, Central Michigan's 34-man recruiting class - including preferred walk-ons - featured just two scholarship players from Illinois: linebackers Kyle Zelinsky (Bartlett) and Alex Smith (Barrington).

Northern Illinois senior defensive end Larry English has won the Mid-American Conference's MVP award for the second-consecutive season. The Aurora native and Marmion graduate also earned the defensive player of the year award, the league office announced Tuesday.

Central Michigan junior quarterback Dan LeFevour, a Benet graduate, was named second-team all-MAC after earning first-team recognition the past two seasons. The Downers Grove native completed 223-of-336 passes for 2,531 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for 536 yards and six touchdowns.

This projection has the Chippewas playing East Carolina in the GMAC Bowl. Coming off a 2-10 season, the 6-foot-3-inch, 255-pound English helped lift Northern Illinois (6-6) back to bowl eligibility. English led the Huskies with eight quarterback sacks, three forced fumbles and 15 tackles for loss.

"When you put the film on, the difference between Larry and everyone else is evident," Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill said in a statement released by the athletics department. "He doesn't take plays off, he plays with a tremendous motor. What makes him so special is what is inside of him. He just has a motor that never quits."

Beacon News columnist/fashion consultant Jim Owczarski broke down English's pro prospects here.