Spring Break
Mustain follows suit, granted release
Brandon Harris
Issue date: 1/17/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Freshman quarterback Mitch Mustain has been granted a release from his scholarship at the UA, Razorbacks head coach Houston Nutt said Tuesday.
Mustain, the heralded Springdale High quarterback who went 8-0 as a starter in his first year at Arkansas, met with Nutt Tuesday afternoon and asked for his release from the school.
Nutt would not comment on the details of the conversation, but said Mustain did not indicate why he was asking for his release or to which school he would be transferring.
"Obviously, I don't want him to go," Nutt said. "I want him to stay here. But also we want the ones who really want to be here. I have granted him his release."
Nutt did hold out hope that perhaps the quarterback would change his mind.
"I hope he stays here," Nutt said. "But he has to make the call. He has to feel good about it, so we'll just see what happens.
"He wanted a release, so I granted him a release," Nutt said. "Has he told me for sure he's transferring? No. We'll just have to wait."
It all comes one day after the exodus of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn - Mustain's high school coach - to Tulsa University where he will be co-offensive coordinator under newly hired coach Todd Graham.
While Nutt said Mustain did not indicate why he wanted his release, Nutt said it could be related to Malzahn leaving the team. "That probably has a lot to do with it," Nutt said.
If Mustain does transfer, it would certainly shake up recruiting and force the Razorbacks to look to sign at least one more quarterback in the offseason, as sophomore quarterback Casey Dick is the only scholarship quarterback left.
No other players have asked for their release or mentioned transferring as of Wednesday afternoon, Nutt said.
Mustain, who rescinded his commitment to play for the Razorbacks before recommitting after Malzahn was hired, is the second Razorback to transfer this season.
Freshman wide receiver Damian Williams, who played with Mustain at Springdale, asked for his release prior to Arkansas' 17-14 loss to Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl. He has enrolled at Southern California for the spring semester.
Mustain, the heralded Springdale High quarterback who went 8-0 as a starter in his first year at Arkansas, met with Nutt Tuesday afternoon and asked for his release from the school.
Nutt would not comment on the details of the conversation, but said Mustain did not indicate why he was asking for his release or to which school he would be transferring.
"Obviously, I don't want him to go," Nutt said. "I want him to stay here. But also we want the ones who really want to be here. I have granted him his release."
Nutt did hold out hope that perhaps the quarterback would change his mind.
"I hope he stays here," Nutt said. "But he has to make the call. He has to feel good about it, so we'll just see what happens.
"He wanted a release, so I granted him a release," Nutt said. "Has he told me for sure he's transferring? No. We'll just have to wait."
It all comes one day after the exodus of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn - Mustain's high school coach - to Tulsa University where he will be co-offensive coordinator under newly hired coach Todd Graham.
While Nutt said Mustain did not indicate why he wanted his release, Nutt said it could be related to Malzahn leaving the team. "That probably has a lot to do with it," Nutt said.
If Mustain does transfer, it would certainly shake up recruiting and force the Razorbacks to look to sign at least one more quarterback in the offseason, as sophomore quarterback Casey Dick is the only scholarship quarterback left.
No other players have asked for their release or mentioned transferring as of Wednesday afternoon, Nutt said.
Mustain, who rescinded his commitment to play for the Razorbacks before recommitting after Malzahn was hired, is the second Razorback to transfer this season.
Freshman wide receiver Damian Williams, who played with Mustain at Springdale, asked for his release prior to Arkansas' 17-14 loss to Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl. He has enrolled at Southern California for the spring semester.
Be the first to comment on this story