Bonner is now gone, and so is former coach Blake Anderson. But Hatcher once again finds himself in the thick of a quarterback competition -- one that could last into the season's opening week, and perhaps beyond.
"I don't ever believe in putting parameters or dates on when you need to name a starting quarterback," Arkansas State University Coach Butch Jones said last week. "It gets back to following the process. Both [Hatcher and Florida State transfer James Blackman] are doing a great job competing, and I just think when it happens, it happens."
Hatcher's numbers from a year ago suggested he had earned the right to be the starter.