Big schools regret overlooking Central Michigan QB Dan LeFevour

Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour is the best dual-threat quarterback you've never heard of. Andy Altenburger/Icon SMI

The film was cut at a small school.

Across the street from Benet Academy, a private school of 1,330 students known better for its 28.3 ACT average than its recorded times in the 40, was Benedictine University. Dan LeFevour would drive from the former to the latter, where the reluctantly-converted quarterback handed off his game tapes to older brother, Ed, the Division III college's offensive line coach. As a player, Ed, who stands 6-foot-5, always had one hand on the ground at Illinois Wesleyan and had little to offer his brother regarding running and throwing development. When it came to marketing along the recruiting trail, though, he tried his hand at film production. Assembling highlight reels of his brother, Ed sent them off to a target audience of some 40 Midwest college football programs.

"I put as many passing highlights as I could," said Ed, who is 14 years older. "They didn't really throw that much at Benet."

LeFevour is throwing often now. Now the starting quarterback at Central Michigan, he had better 2007 numbers (3,652 passing yards, 1,122 rushing yards) than Heisman winner Tim Tebow (3,286, 895). He grew up as a running back in suburban Downers Grove, Ill. Able to drink in the whole field as a youth, LeFevour identified holes, made cuts and ran for light. At home he watched Pure Payton, a highlight package of Chicago Bears tailback Walter Payton. In front of the television screen, he mimicked the moves of Sweetness instead of the throwing mechanics of McMahon. "I grew up watching the Bears," says LeFevour, the youngest of five siblings. "The quarterback position was not really stable."

In his first year at Benet, LeFevour rushed through his freshman campaign. Though successful in the backfield, he played the season finale under center because two quarterbacks went down with an injury. "I didn't have much of a choice," he said.

That summer, he trained as a quarterback and was the sole sophomore invited to play varsity. While he gained his footing in the lineup, he thrived in the double-wing. By his junior year, LeFevour led Benet to the third round of the playoffs, uncharted waters for the small school; as a senior he was honorable mention all-state.

"He could run like a tailback," Benet coach Gary Goforth said. "And he could run you over like a fullback."

Though his tapes were sent to Big Ten schools, no scholarship offers came in return. LeFevour's pitches fell on deaf ears at the BCS level. His father thought his son would fit in at a Division II school. When Big Ten schools made courtesy calls to campus, Goforth continued to mention his quarterback, stating his belief that he had the best in the state. "You guys are missing the boat," Goforth would say.