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Mitchell Mustain (born February 27, 1988 in Springdale, Arkansas, USA) is an American college football quarterback at the University of Southern California (USC). Mustain played his freshman year of college at the University of Arkansas in 2006 before transferring to USC in 2007. Under NCAA transfer rules, he will sit out the 2007 season and will be eligible to begin playing in the 2008 season.

Mustain was one of the most highly decorated high school players in history and was recruited by nearly every college football program in the United States during the 2005-2006 school year. Nicknamed "The Future" for the lofty expectatons and heights he was expected to lead the Arkansas program to for the next four years, Mustain played sparingly in the first game against Southern California, but was named the starting quarterback by the second game of the season and achieved a record of 8-0 as a true freshman starter.

Since junior high school, Mustain has accumulated a record of 61-2 (.968) as a starting quarterback (9-1 in eighth grade in 2001, 9-0 in both ninth grade in 2002 and 10th grade in 2003, 12-1 in 11th grade in 2004, 14-0 in 12th grade in 2005 and 8-0 as a freshman at Arkansas in 2006).

High school career

By the time he left junior high school, Mustain was already the object of high expectations; however he did not start for the Springdale High School varsity team until late in his sophomore season.

In 2004 as a junior, Mustain was 139-of-222 for 2,169 yards and 20 touchdowns as Springdale posted a 12-1 record and reached the Arkansas Class 5A semifinals. He threw only five interceptions in 222 attempts and rushed for 350 yards and 14 touchdowns.

In 2005 as a senior, Mustain threw for 3,817 yards (an Arkansas Class 5A single season record) and 47 touchdowns and completed 69.3 percent of his pass attempts. Springdale went undefeated with a record of 14-0 and won the Arkansas Class 5A state title, including three wins over nationally-ranked opponents and a No. 2 ranking in one national poll.

On January 7, 2006, Mustain was the starting quarterback for the West team in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.

Parade magazine named him High School Player of the Year in its January 1, 2006 issue. He was then named Mr. Football in Arkansas by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He was also named the 2005-2006 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year, the first-ever from the state of Arkansas. Scout.com ranked him as the high school class of 2006's top quarterback recruit. Mustain had told reporters he planned to play for either Notre Dame, Tennessee, Alabama or his home-state Arkansas Razorbacks.

In December 2005, Gus Malzahn, Mustain's coach at Springdale, was hired to be the new offensive coordinator at the University of Arkansas; this was widely taken to signal the Razorbacks willingness to shift their offense to adapt to Mustain's style of play. The hiring enabled the Razorbacks to recruit the highly-touted quarterback. On January 16, 2006, Mustain informed Malzahn of his decision to commit to Arkansas.

College career

University of Arkansas (2006-2007)

True freshman starter

Mustain enrolled at the University of Arkansas on July 10 2006 and, in his first game on September 2, 2006, replaced starting quarterback Robert Johnson in the fourth quarter of an eventual 50-14 loss to the USC Trojans. He immediately put together an 80 yard touchdown drive against the Trojan defense. The following day, Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt named Mustain as the starting quarterback for the next game against Utah State, moving Johnson to wide receiver.

Mustain accumulated a record of 8-0 as a true freshman starter, helping guide the Razorbacks to 11th in the college football rankings. The offense was oriented around what was considered among the nation's best running back tandems, Darren McFadden (who would be the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy) and Felix Jones; as a result, Mustain's statistics did not match his high school numbers in a more pass-oriented offense.

Change in status

A turning point occurred on November 4, 2006 in No. 11 Arkansas' 26-20 win over South Carolina, when Mustain was relieved after one series by sophomore Casey Dick, who led the Razorbacks for 228 yards and a touchdown. The day after the game, Dick was named the starting quarterback for an upcoming game against No. 13 Tennessee, with Coach Nutt citing "experience" as the primary reason for the change.

Mustain did not play in the next three games and entered for one series in the final game of the regular season, the SEC Championship game, on December 2, 2006, against the Florida Gators.

On December 20, 2006, Nutt announced that Dick would start for the Razorbacks in the January 1, 2007 Capital One Bowl against the Wisconsin Badgers; however, he stated that Mustain would also enter the game in the third series. The game resulted in a 17-14 defeat for Arkansas.

Mustain finished the season with 894 yards passing, completing 69 out of 132 passes with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Transfer from Arkansas

On January 15, 2007, Gus Malzahn, the offensive coordinator and Mustain's former high school coach, announced he was leaving the Razorbacks to join the University of Tulsa. The day after Malzahn's announcement, January 16, 2007, Mustain requested permission to transfer to another university and it was, subsequently, granted by Coach Nutt. The announcement was a year to the day after Mustain had initially announced his decision to sign with the Razorbacks out of high school.

University of Southern California (2007-present)

Mustain enrolled at the University of Southern California on May 21, 2007. He joined his former Springdale High School and Arkansas teammate, Damian Williams, who had transferred to USC the previous January.

Under NCAA transfer rules, Mustain will sit out the 2007 season and will be eligible to begin playing in the 2008 season, when he will have three years of eligibility remaining.

References

1. ^ Wins most impressive stat for Arkansas' Mustain, Associated Press, October 24, 2006.
2. Mustain's mother issues statement on meeting, Associated Press, December 13, 2006.
3. ^ Mustain apparently passing on Malzahn-free Arkansas, Associated Press, January 17, 2007.
4. Final decision: Mustain commits to Arkansas Associated Press, January 17, 2006.
5. ^ Dick named starter for Arkansas, Associated Press, November 6, 2006.
6. Mitch Mustain Stats, ESPN.com
7. Nutt names Dick starter, but Mustain will play, Associated Press, December 20, 2006.
8. Malzahn: Arkansas 'committed' to QB plan, Associated Press, December 30, 2006.
9. 2006 Arkansas Razorbacks Football, Arkansas Game Results (FINAL): All games, hogwired.com
10. Arkansas' Malzahn headed to Tulsa; Mustain next?, Associated Press, January 15, 2007.
11. Mitch Mustain asks for transfer, Associated Press, January 16, 2007.
12. Mustain will be eligible to play for USC in '08, Associated Press, May 21, 2007.

Further reading

• Voigt, Kurt (2007). Year of the Dog: One Year, One Team, One Goal. Las Vegas: Stephens Press. ISBN 978-1932173642. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

External links

• Mitch Mustain University of Southern California profile
• He is in hog heaven at USC Los Angeles Times, July 12, 2007
• Mitch is the man Northwest Arkansas Times, September 4, 2006
• Gatorade National Football Player of the Year: Mitch Mustain December 6, 2005
• Mitch Mustain Named PARADE Magazine's Player of the Year NFLHS.com
• Mitch Mustain Scout.com profile

• 1988 births
• Living people
• People from Arkansas
• American football quarterbacks
• USC Trojans football players
• Arkansas Razorbacks football players