Nutt Gives Mustain Permission to Transfer
Mitch Mustain began his career at Arkansas with eight straight wins as a starter.
And that, apparently, is exactly how he’ll end it.
Mustain has received permission to transfer, coach Houston Nutt said Tuesday. The announcement came a year to the day after Mustain made public his final decision to sign with the Razorbacks.
Gus Malzahn, who coached Mustain at Springdale High School in Arkansas, was the Razorbacks’ offensive coordinator this season. But Malzahn left Arkansas this week to become assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator at Tulsa.
Mustain went 8-0 as a starter in 2006, helping Arkansas to a 10-4 season and a No. 15 national ranking.
But Mustain was benched in a November win over South Carolina, and he hardly played again until splitting time with starter Casey Dick in Arkansas’ Capital One Bowl loss to Wisconsin.
Mustain completed 52.3 percent of his passes this season for 894 yards with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Last month, parents of Mustain and two other freshmen met with athletic director Frank Broyles amid concerns Malzahn didn’t have enough control over the offense. One of the freshmen, receiver Damian Williams, has transferred to Southern California.
The third freshman was tight end Ben Cleveland. Nutt said Cleveland was in Kansas for a friend’s funeral, so his status was unclear.
Mustain was the Parade magazine prep player of the year in 2005. He said in August of that year he would attend Arkansas, but he opened his recruitment again after his high school season ended.
Arkansas hired Malzahn after the 2005 season, and Mustain eventually signed with the Razorbacks. Williams and Cleveland also signed after they appeared headed elsewhere.
All three played as freshmen, but Arkansas relied on its running game — tailback Darren McFadden was the Heisman Trophy runner-up. The spread, no-huddle offense Malzahn used at Springdale was never a factor.
The Razorbacks won 10 straight games at one point — but the warm feelings from that stretch have been overshadowed lately. Arkansas lost three straight to end the season, and as the Razorbacks prepared for their bowl, Nutt was still being asked about the controversy surrounding his team.
Nutt said he only wants players who want to be at Arkansas.
Arkansas, Mitch Mustain, Houston Nutt, Tulsa
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