He’s landed verbal commitments from two of the top junior running backs in the Midwest — Edwin Baker from Oak Park, Mich., and Larry Caper from Battle Creek.

He’s received a verbal commitment from top in-state quarterback Andrew Maxwell from Midland and another from Ypsilanti star receiver Donald Spencer.

And Dantonio got his first verbal commitment on the defensive side of the ball in junior All-American linebacker Chris Norman from Detroit.

Who would have thought that just 28 days after signing a middle-of-the-pack 2008 class Dantonio would have verbal commitments from five of the top 10 in-state juniors, including two of the top five according to Rivals.com?

And what does this mean for a football team that already seemed headed in the right direction after a turnaround season?

It means Dantonio and his staff have what it takes to compete for top talent in a recruiting market trolled by Michigan, Ohio State and much of the Big Ten.

For years, many talented in-state recruits got sucked up by U-M, but the tides could be turning.

For the first time in more than half a century, the Wolverines hired a head coach from outside their own program.

Former West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez is just like every other Wal-Mart Wolverine who never went to the school but is proud to wear the maize and blue.

One of the main attractions for recruits to sign with U-M has been their storied football history. I have to imagine Rodriguez isn’t nearly as convincing as former head coach Lloyd Carr when it comes to relaying the school’s traditions to lure potential recruits.

What’s more, Rodriguez brings with him a spread offense, and that means he won’t necessarily seek the same recruits as Dantonio, who runs a pro-style offense.

Even when they are fighting over the same meat, Dantonio and his assistants have proven they can hold their own — Baker, Caper and Norman were all reported to have scholarship offers from U-M, according to Rivals.com.

The 2009 recruits still have about one year until National Signing Day and until then the athletes still can revoke their verbal commitments. But if history is any indicator, early commits tend to be some of the strongest.

Dantonio made a commitment of his own when he came to MSU, pledging to tap the in-state talent market that had been all too ignored by former head coach John L. Smith. He has frequented Detroit-area schools, making an impression on the players that he’s serious about bringing to East Lansing.

His trips to Detroit paid off last year, landing an early commitment from Detroit Southeastern safety Charles Burrell, but he wasn’t the only Southeastern target Dantonio was after. He was after Burrell’s buddy and teammate, wide receiver Fred Smith.

Smith had been on the fence about whether or not to accept U-M’s offer or to join the ranks at MSU, but with the encouragement of Burrell, Smith signed with the Spartans.

Hopefully this year’s early recruits will take after Burrell and act as ambassadors to the MSU football program.

And while the idea of watching these star-studded recruits make spectacular plays in Spartan Stadium is exciting, the team still has a whole season in front of them, and spring practices are just about to begin.

There are a lot of questions left up in the air for the 2008 season, and those unknowns may be just as exciting as all this recruiting buzz.

Hopefully some sneaky stars will emerge just like record-crushers Jonal Saint-Dic and Devin Thomas did last season.

Jon Schultz is the State News sports editor. He can be reached at schul320@msu.edu.