Heismanpundit

We were originally schedule to have a Q & A with Chris Wells today, but we’ve had a little delay getting to him, so we’re going to lead with our chat series with Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour.

The rising junior is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Last year, he passed for 3,652 yards and 27 touchdowns and added another 1,122 yards and 19 scores on the ground. He even caught a touchdown pass, so that’s 47 touchdowns accounted for. Amazing numbers! He’s just the second player ever to throw for 3,000 and run for 1,000 in the same season (some guy named Vince Young was the other).

Central Michigan is ready to get behind the LeFevour campaign, as all kinds of creative ideas are in the works. The idea is to slowly build up LeFevour’s profile this season in preparation for a major push at the Heisman in 2009. We think that is a smart approach to promoting this outstanding quarterback.

We chatted with the defending MAC Offensive Player of the Year yesterday:

Last year you became just the second player to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000. What do you do for an encore this year?

It depends on how the season goes, how the play calling goes. I just try to do my best, I don’t get caught up in all the numbers. I really didn’t even realize that I had done it lat year until after the fact. I remember one of the coaches at the end of the MAC championship game telling me not to go too far backwards when we were running out the clock because I had gone over 1,000 yards rushing and he didn’t want the negative yardage to affect that.

CMU finished strong last year after a 1-3 start. You have nine starters back on offense and eight back on defense. Do you feel like you have some momentum heading into the fall?

We definitely have some great players back. But we lost some guys who were very important to our team, some real team leaders. Summer has been very important in trying to develop new leaders. That’s been our focus.

You are one of those new breed dual threat quarterbacks that is doing so well in the college game. There are guys out there like Tim Tebow and Jake Locker and Pat White. But who would you compare yourself to?

Well, I don’t know if I compare to anyone, but I really enjoy watching Tony Romo. He’s very creative in the way he plays. To be honest, I think I run too readily. I need to learn to be more patient and stay in the pocket.

What schools recruited you the most out of high school? Why did you choose CMU?

I was offered by Eastern Michigan, Ball State and Eastern Illinois. I just really felt comfortable here, though. I like the coaching staff and the facilities. It seemed like a great fit. I committed and never looked back.

Some are calling you the next great MAC quarterback. Why do you think the MAC is so good at churning out NFL caliber signal callers?

I just think that a lot of these guys get a chance to play four years. They are able to get plenty of experience, as opposed to some guys at other schools who end up leaving after just one or two years starting. I think the experience factor is important in developing quarterbacks.

You’ve been very successful in the spread, but what kind of adjustment will you have to make when you hit the NFL?

Most of our snaps are in the shot gun, so I’ll need to work on getting snaps under center. I think that will be the main thing I need to adjust.

You’ve got a big game against Georgia coming up. How will you guys approach playing a game in such a hostile environment?

We’ve had some experience with that. We played at Kentucky last year. We’ve played at Michigan and Clemson and Purdue. We just need to remember that we’ve been in that situation before and carry it over to this game. As long as we are ready mentally, we should be ready to play.

What are your personal and team goals for the coming season?

Well, the personal goals are all tied up with the team goals. Our first goal is to win our division and to win our third-straight MAC title. Our big goal is that we want to be a top 25 team. We’ll need to win a few non-conference games to get to that point.

How does it feel to be talked about in the Heisman conversation?

It’s a great honor to be mentioned. I remember watching all those ceremonies on TV. It’s a cool fraternity of guys. I feel it’s an offensive award, basically. And being a spread quarterback give you the chance to put up big numbers and get credit for success, but also get a lot of blame, too.

What about life after football? What do you have in your plans?

I haven’t looked much beyond football, really. I major in communications and I have a minor in finance, so we’ll see where the business world can take me when I’m done with football. But I hope that day never comes!

Thanks to Dan for taking part in the Q & A! Good luck in 2008!