All Mitch Mustain wants to do is play football.
It just won't happen at Arkansas. Apparently.
It doesn't really matter why or how the much-celebrated quarterback doesn't want to be there, although it makes for great reading, blogging and viewing around the state.
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| Mitch Mustain went 8-0 in what turns out will be his only season at Arkansas. (AP) |
Mitch is us, wanting the best for himself. A sense of entitlement? No more than anyone who deserves a promotion -- or desperately wants a divorce.
Root for him because he is working the system to his advantage. Good for him. Good for the investment his mother put into his recruiting. It was a lot more than Arkansas put into him, considering he is from Springdale, Ark., just down the road from Fayetteville.
Beck Campbell reportedly spent at least $10,000 of her own money on her son's unofficial visits, covering 20,000 miles. Why not control the process?
Entitlement? Think about what the Hogs' biggest in-state recruit ever is walking away from. He was 8-0 as a freshman starter for a team that played for the SEC title.
How bad are things at Arkansas? Mustain might finish his career a few miles from the Mexican border in Conference USA. Might, because a funny thing happened on the way to Tulsa, or Oklahoma or Texas Tech or Texas-El Paso, or wherever he is headed.
The kid didn't actually leave Arkansas. Mustain re-enrolled for the winter semester last week. Forgotten but not gone. His professors now know him better than coach Houston Nutt, which seems fitting.
We told you he's working the system. Mustain is almost taunting Arkansas. With him being on campus, half the message boards hope he will eventually "return" to Arkansas.
The other half are spouting good-riddance quality bile.
But Beck and Mitch are savvy. Here's what is probably happening: The quarterback is waiting until after signing day to see how rosters shake out, who transfers, who flunks out, where he fits in.
Sure, Mitch is getting his, but what do you expect? Look at his authority figures. Coaches are making millions on the backs of unpaid labor. What about the free scholarship? It can be pulled at the end of each season.
Look at his role models. Reggie Bush allegedly took the money at Southern California, left a year early and showed what he's really about Sunday afternoon. On his way to the end zone Bush pointed at Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, somersaulted into the end zone, got up and did a little jig.
Game-winning touchdown? No, the Saints were losing, and never scored again.
Louisville coach Steve Kragthrope grandstanded recently, saying he wasn't interested in Mustain. Translation: The Cardinals are loaded with quarterbacks (Brian Brohm, Hunter Cantwell) and don't want to scare off any future recruits by grabbing a guy who won't show up on the roster until 2008.
There's the recruit and how people around the recruit position themselves. Mustain's recruitment initially was about the balance of power in the SEC and Arkansas' football ego. For the family, it never stopped being about what is best for Beck and her son.
The system that genuflected at his feet also ran him off. He has the right to leave and fight as much as he can against his indentured servitude.
That's what it really is. In case you need to be reminded again, the schools, the coaches, the conferences hold all the cards. Transfer, and you have to sit out a year. The longstanding stupid letter-of-intent protects the school and shackles the player.
How fair is that while Bobby Petrino and Nick Saban chase jobs and big bucks, Mustain sits in transfer jail for a year? In a conference like the Big Ten, it's essentially impossible to transfer within the league. Do it and you're never eligible for athletic financial aid again.
The 50-year-old rule protects coaches from being beaten by their former players. How's that for selfish?
When coaches balked at an NCAA bylaw allowing fifth-year grad students to transfer without sitting out, college presidents "rallied." They rescinded the rule with an override vote earlier this month.
A paltry 25 players had taken advantage of the rule during its eight months of existence.
That's off-the-charts selfish compared to Mustain's conduct. He supposedly asked for his release only after Arkansas offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn took the same job at Tulsa.
Malzahn was Mustain's high school coach. They set records and won state championships together. Formed a bond. What about a comfort level, being happy, enjoying college? Fans buy into what a player can do for them. Mustain is doing what's best for him, the system be damned.
When did that become raging against the machine?
A large portion of Hogville is blaming Nutt and/or AD Frank Broyles. One disgruntled fan went so far as to take out a half-page ad in the Arkansas Democrat last week. The ad politely asked both to step down. The fan apparently is well-heeled enough to pay north of $5,000 getting his/her point across.
Yes, it's serious in Arkansas. A mess, really. Mustain was promised certain "things" -- playing time, Malzahn's offense -- but no one really knows for sure. Beck and two other sets of Springdale parents complained to Broyles, setting off a national debate: What public square should be chosen for the kids and parents to be spanked for their whining?
How about the coach and administration for letting it get this far? The infection is spreading because apparently recruits are getting the message that Arkansas isn't the place to be. Nutt's latest class is currently ranked around No. 40 nationally.
With Mustain leading the way, it was top 25 class last year.
When you are a singular talent like Mustain, it's about getting what you want out of life. That means the best coach and offense possible to develop your talent.
If that's selfish, then selfish is good. The closest comparison might be Troy Aikman. He transferred from Oklahoma to UCLA after breaking his leg two decades ago. Both he and the Sooners did OK. Barry Switzer switched back to an option offense and won the national championship. Among other things, Aikman kick-started his career as a Fox color analyst.
We can only hope the same success comes to Mustain and the Hogs. The program was dysfunctional as hell last year and still won 10 games while producing a Heisman finalist (Darren McFadden).
Meanwhile, Mustain still has his three years of eligibility left. It probably won't be in the SEC, the top of the football food chain. That's OK.
Mustain will eventually have his free scholarship again, at a place where he is comfortable. New fans will welcome him with open arms. You can bet his mother will be heavily involved in the process.
Isn't that the way it should be, everywhere?
