Super sleuth Michael Ausiello of TV Guide was recently asked to clear up a very good question regarding the cast of Friday Night Lights: Which players, if any, will be entering their senior season this fall?

It's a valid inquiry, seeing that high school football players can only play four years, and their status in this regard is infrequently mentioned, if at all. Apparently, the only senior among the big guns is Smash Williams.

This raises another interesting question - does Smash's recruitment by a major college mean Gaius Charles will be written off Friday Night Lights, should it be lucky enough to be extended to a third season by NBC?

Maybe. Maybe not.

While Friday Night Lights executive producer Jason Katims wouldn't rule out that possibility, Gaius Charles offered another possibility:

"If they can make Coach Taylor work as a character outside of [Dillon], I don't see any reason why they can't make my character work that way," Charles said. "I trust the writers."

Indeed, Eric Taylor is now at the helm of TMU, not Dillon High School, with a new coach hired to replace him. How long he stays there is uncertain, however, and he will remain the focal point of the show regardless.

It will certainly be interesting to see what the writers have in mind for Smash, but it's good to know that most of the regulars have at least two years left!

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.