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http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/College_Football_Recruiting_First_Look_at_09/286248 It is still extremely early in the college football recruiting process (heck, we haven't even seen the '08's in action), but schools are already filling their quotas by locking up solid verbal commitments from many of the nation's top prospects. Michigan StateThis post is largely inspired as a cheap attempt for me to give some props to Mark Dantonio and my Michigan State Spartans. Ever since a man named Nick Saban decided he couldn't compete with his neighbor in Ann Arbor and jetted to LSU for some fast cash, the Spartans have had year after year of suspect recruiting classes. This correlated into some lackluster seasons with few bowl appearances. The tides appear to be changing. As it stands, the Spartans' 2009 recruiting class ranks 10th overall, with numerous 4-star recruits, headlined by Edwin Baker, a local running back. With an overachieving 2007 class where many freshmen immediately stepped in and proved they could hang in the Big 10, the future looks bright as of now. Ohio StateFor everyone who could care less about Michigan State, the rest of the top 25 contains many of the same cast of characters. Even though they failed to take down an SEC team for the second consecutive year in the national championship game, Ohio State currently reigns supreme, getting verbal commitments from 23 players. The Buckeyes were able to do this by not only keeping their home grown players in-state, but also snatching a handful of recruits from around the midwest, including linebacker Dorian Bell, who should continue OSU's tradition at this position. (What ever happened to "The Big Kat" by the way?) yard barker 7/7/08

http://gnb.scout.com/a.z?s=61&p=2&c=767275 While it seems media covering numerous teams around the NFL want to speculate about Brett Favre landing in their city, his suitors are likely far fewer than most think. So how about the Vikings? We think not. Whether it’s the combination of being a slow news week or media outlets being desperate for something to write about, the “Brett Favre coming back” story just won’t go away. Keep in mind that Favre himself hasn’t come public with any intention of playing in 2009. In fact, if anything, he has gone out of his way to deny reports that he wants to come back. Yet, it is like the Terminator of sports stories – whatever you try to do to it, it won’t die. Where the truth lies in Favre’s interest in returning is uncertain – from here it looks more like agent Bus Cook is trying to stir things up more than Favre having a burning desire to return. The story would seem to be more of a by-product of Favre’s annual “Will I or won’t I?” retirement talk. He played the Packers for years, holding them hostage for months at a time with the question of whether he would quit or stay. The talk got so intense that in 2005, the Packers hedged their bets by taking Aaron Rodgers in the first round – a player that hasn’t seen any significant playing time in three years. But the media continues to take the rumor mill at its word. Fans in Chicago hear that Favre is coming there. Carolina’s general manager was forced to address the rumors that he is heading to the Panthers. Several other teams have discussed the matter in hypothetical situations. However, the truth is much different. If you’re looking for a landing spot for Favre, the best thing to do is play the elimination game. The Packers would be the logical landing spot, but the Packers have made a big move in terms of moving on. They offered Daunte Culpepper a contract that, for some unexplained reason, he turned down (Daunte, you really need to hire an agent). They also used their second-round draft pick on Brian Brohm and grabbed another QB in the seventh round. It would appear they took Favre at his word that he is done and, while Favre is still the property of the Packers, they have taken his cap money off the books and are moving forward without him. Green Bay would have to release or trade Favre for him to be able to go to any other team but the question is how many teams could he realistically go to scout.com 7/6/08