I think about this at least once a week. 

Yeah, that's Austin Peay quarterback Chris Parson. Ranked one spot ahead of LaNorris Sellers, a legitimate contender to be the first player picked in next year's NFL Draft, and two spots ahead of Austin Simmons, who started the season as Ole Miss' quarterback before injury sidelined him, and Trinidad Chambliss turned into a darkhorse Heisman contender in his stead. That was a good year for quarterbacks. And Parson was considered among the best prospects in the sport. 

The opportunities never materialized at Mississippi State like he might've hoped, so he moved on to Austin Peay, where, after a systematic dissection of No. 16 West Georgia on Saturday led to his second United Athletic Conference Player of the Week in as many weeks, he is reminding everyone of exactly what he's capable of. 

"I felt very confident going into this game [against West Georgia]," Parson said. "We had a great week of practice, and Coach [Quinn] Billerman did a great job getting me ready to play this week. Watching film, understanding where I need to go with the ball, what looks we were going to get… we knew it wasn't going to be easy, because that's a really good football team. We weren't perfect, but we did what we had to do to win this game."

First of all, that athleticism… can we talk about the athleticism? The athleticism that keeps plays alive and allows him and the Govs to thrive in and out of structure? The beauty of that athleticism is that a collapsing pocket is just the starting line for the action. Parson can step, juke, bob, weave, and straight-on sprint his way out of trouble—too nimble for a defensive lineman, too quick for linebackers, and too strong for a lot of members of the opposing secondary. We've had incredible athletes take the snaps at Austin Peay before; Parson has shown, in just six games, that he's capable of doing things on the level of a Mike DiLiello or JaVaughn Craig. 

Those are, by any objective measure, two of the best quarterbacks in program history. 

Since I just dropped nearly a sonnet's worth of words singing Parson's praises as an athlete, surely he's just so-so as a passer, right? Subpar arm strength, lacking accuracy, no touch… it would stand to reason that something is surely off the table. 

Well… what if I told you that Saturday was probably his best day as a passer in an Austin Peay uniform? That everything – from reading the defense at the line to pocket poise to progressions and execution – appeared to level up again? On at least three occasions, he made the best throw he's made as a Gov – his bucket-drop of a first touchdown strike to Jaden Robinson in the first quarter, a perfect deep ball to Julien Randolph III in the second, and then his first pass of the second half to Jackson Head with a West Georgia defender right in his face. 

Even when adversity struck – the two-series stretch in the third quarter that flipped the game from an Austin Peay lead to an Austin Peay deficit – nobody wavered, least of all the signal-caller charged with leading the Govs to their first top-25 win of the Jeff Faris era. 

"Adversity is going to strike," Parson said. "I've never played a perfect game in my life. When things don't go our way, it's about how you respond. We had to find a way to keep fighting, and we never lost focus, never got down, and figured out how to respond." 

We are seeing a progression in Parson that is, frankly, startling. It's not just that he's getting more comfortable with each start and obviously becoming one of the best quarterbacks in FCS, although… tough to quibble with either of those points, based on the evidence, and the evidence is substantial.  Parson sits in the top-30 nationally in yards per attempt (9th, 9.4), rushing touchdowns (12th and tied for fifth among quarterbacks with 6), yards per completion (12th, 14.9), passing yards (12th, 1,372), passing efficiency (15th, 164.6), passing touchdowns (19th, 10), total offense (19th, 266.7) and completion percentage (30th, 65.8 percent). At the midway point of the schedule, he's trending toward top-10 marks in completions, passing yards, passing touchdowns, completion percentage, passing yards per game, rushing touchdowns, total offense, total touchdowns, and total yards per game. 

That's as good a season as anyone has ever had as a Gov. There's a long way to go and some thorny defenses still on the schedule, including a top-50 Eastern Kentucky and a stingy Tarleton State that's paced the Texans to a top-three ranking, both of which the Govs will play on the road. Nothing is guaranteed, but those accolades, honors, and records… those are absolutely in play. 

And that's all cool, and will be wonderful when or if it comes to pass. But the most impressive part of what Parson has done so far is what he's unlocking for those around him. Look at the running lanes; the mere threat of his abilities are opening up for Courtland Simmons, Corey Richardson, and Javious Bond. Watch him make the right read at the right time and feed his coterie of pass-catchers the ball with space to maneuver. Parson isn't throwing hospital balls. He's not overshooting an open man by three yards. Even in the read option game, he's making the pull when he should and leaving the ball with his back when he shouldn't. He is in complete command.

And when Chris Parson is in complete command, the Govs are proving to be a very, very tough out on the field.