A once promising career for QB Mitch Mustain took him from Arkansas to USC to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
QB Mitch Mustain is finally getting his shot at professional football when he signed with the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The road to the pros was not an easy trek for the Springdale, Arkansas native who went from Arkansas’ starting QB to USC’s back-up.
In 2006, Mustain briefly became a college football celebrity when the heralded freshman took over the reigns at Arkansas going 8-0 as a starter. The 2005 Gatorade National Player of the Year eventually lost his starting job due to his reduced passing role, àla handing the ball off to RB Darren McFadden. Mustain was displeased with coach Houston Nutt’s offensive schemes, so much so, he decided to roll the dice by transferring to the University of Southern California, a program known for churning NFL quarterbacks.
When Mustain landed in Tinseltown, his star status quickly depleted. He suddenly found himself as a back-up to young phenom Matt Barkley. Two playing seasons as a Trojan, Mustain saw limited action throwing for 503 yards amassing 3 TDs and 2 INTs. He lost his only start when the Trojans fell to Notre Dame 16-20. With his collegiate career ending, Mustain was looking to turn pro.
His dream of playing professional football was met with some resistance. Mustain had to handle some legal issues after being arrested this past February for suspicion of selling prescription amphetamines to an undercover officer. The charges were ultimately dropped after he entered a pretrial diversion program, but it did raise red flags for NFL scouts. Also, with the labor disputes in full swing and no free agent market, Mustain had to explore other options. In timely fashion, the CFL’s Tiger-Cats came calling and ultimately invited Mustain to camp.
A move to Hamilton will be a test to see if Mustain can make it at the next level. There are three QBs on the Tiger-Cats depth chart with QB Kevin Glenn slated to be the starter. If the cards fall in the right place, Mustain could eventually take over under center. There is no doubt he has the accuracy and drive to succeed.
