This NFL puzzle ran on Oct 21, 2026. The task was to connect Reggie White to Laveranues Coles with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include an Oklahoma State alum.” Par was 3 links.
Reggie White (DL) played in the NFL from 1992 to 1995. Career stops: the Los Angeles Chargers (1992 to 1994) and the New England Patriots (1995). College: North Carolina A&T. As the Start of the chain, a household name like this gives you a lot of teammates to branch from, which makes it a friendly place to begin.
Laveranues Coles (WR) played in the NFL from 2000 to 2009. Career stops: the New York Jets (2000 to 2008), the Washington Commanders (2003 to 2004), and the Cincinnati Bengals (2009). College: Florida State. As the Finish of the chain, a household name like this gives you a lot of teammates to branch from, which makes it a friendly place to begin.
Reggie White and Laveranues Coles do not share a team or a college, so there is no direct link. You need at least one connector in between, and the objective decides which ones are allowed to count.
This was a college objective. The chain has to pass through a player from the named school at some point, not necessarily as a link to the Start or Finish. Of the 17,971 players in the pool, 148 satisfy it. The best known are Reggie White (RB, 2001), Barry Sanders (RB, 1990 to 1998), Tyreek Hill (WR, 2016 to 2025), Thurman Thomas (RB, 1990 to 2000), Kevin Williams (DT, 2003 to 2016), and Dez Bryant (WR, 2010 to 2020).
8 of those players share a team or college with Reggie White, and 15 share one with Laveranues Coles. The Start is the tighter side, so working forward from Reggie White narrows the options fastest.
One shortest chain found by searching the full player pool, preferring the best known names at every step:
Many other chains work. Scoring rewards lower-profile connectors, so the best-known route is rarely the highest scoring one.
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