An esteemed colleague in the Quality Football Content Industry recently asked me for my list of A-State’s best five players on offense and defense. I was happy to oblige. At first. Normally, you’d look at the roster, assess who was good last season, identify which of those players are returning, and then supply the list. It’s the easiest of June content.

Except, everything is a bit blurry in Jonesboro right now. Well, not everything. It’s clear that at least two of the team’s best players – Jonathan Adams and Forest Merrill – have graduated and departed for richer fields. Another “best” player, Justin Rice, logged off with Blake Anderson to Utah State, taking with him “potentially best player” Logan Bonner and “pretty good player” Brandon Bowling, too. Scratch all those guys off the list.

[Scratching Sound]

Despite the losses, the Pool of Best isn’t empty. Layne Hatcher, aka: half of the starting QB rotation, returns to build on the 46 career TDS he’s compiled in two seasons at A-State. Also back, wide receiver wonder-twins Jeff Foreman and Corey Rucker – and Dahu Green, who could actually become the Red Wolves’ primary target if he can manage to maintain his health.

There are others to consider: Antonio Fletcher, Ivory Scott, Marcel Murray, Samy Johnson, Terry Hampton, Andre Harris. We’ve got all these guys with best potential.

And then new head football coach Butch Jones said, “Imma gonna get all these other guys.”

Other Guys are always more exciting than Current Guys because we know who the Current Guys are and no matter how best they might be, nothing is as best as the potential best of Other Guys.

For example, we already have a QB who’s averaging nearly 25 TD tosses a season. We should be pretty thrilled about that. Buuuuut now we have a highly rated Other Guy who was on track to tear down the ACC before derailing.

It doesn’t end behind center We had some quality Current Guys returning at linebacker, but Jones enlisted four new Other Guys, all of whom carry a pile of yellow stars next to their names.

Samy Johnson looks like a Sun Belt first-team corner, but then we got this four/five star Other Guy with that sweeeet Bama cred.

Ivory Scott and Andre Harris Jr. seem like pretty bad ass best Current Guys, but now we have some incoming behemoth Other Guys, too.

I mentioned Current Guy wide receivers like Jeff Foreman and Corey Rucker, but man some Other Guys from TCU, Boise State and Kentucky seem awfully promising, too.

Don’t even get me talking about defensive end.

It’s impossible. How can I possibly provide a list of A-State’s best players when maybe A-State’s best players haven’t yet seen a snap at A-State? Am I falling into Señor Potential’s inescapable blackhole while completely under-appreciating the greatness already banking stats for the Red Wolves?

Who are Arkansas State’s ten best football players? I have no idea. Maybe you do.