It's been six years, and former Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain said Monday he still hasn't spoken to former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt.
While he didn't elaborate, Mustain said he hasn't spoken to Nutt since he left the program in 2007. Mustain added that while he does somewhat regret committing to Arkansas when coming out of Springdale High School in 2006, he believes he got many positive experiences out of his time there.
His situation with Nutt, his subsequent transfer out of Arkansas and several other topics were discussed during Mustain's 45-minute address to the Little Rock Touchdown Club at the Embassy Suites in west Little Rock on Monday afternoon.
Mustain's appearance coincides with several showings of a new documentary of his life, "The Identity Theft of Mitch Mustain," that will occur this weekend at the Hot Springs Film Festival at the Arlington Hotel. The film focuses on the Springdale native's life, as well as his year at Arkansas and the details behind his transfer and what happened after he left the program.
"It was a crazy time for everyone," he said.
Mustain spent the 2006 season with the Razorbacks. Arkansas went 7-0 when he started, but reported tension between Mustain, Malzahn and Nutt led Mustain to transfer to Southern California after the season.
"There were a lot of promises made that shouldn't have been made," Mustain said, adding that "there were a lot of clues that it wasn't going to work for [himself and teammate Damien Williams]."
In his three seasons at USC, Mustain finished primarily as a back-up — first to Mark Sanchez, then to Matt Barkley. Shortly after his college career ended, Mustain was arrested on the accusations that he attempted to sell the prescription drug Adderall online. No charges were filed in the case.
Mustain said that his documentary was a chance for him to tell his story, specifically about his time at Arkansas, which he said was easier to do six years down the road.
"I was happy to have the chance to tell my end of the story," Mustain said, adding that he believed the story of his transfer was "slanted" one way when it occurred. Malzahn and Nutt declined to be interviewed for the documentary.
The subject of recruiting was also brought up in a question-and-answer session with the club. Mustain said that sometimes recruiting becomes hectic, and it's important to "pull yourself out of the vacuum" and "remember that there is a world out there."
During his time on the dais, Mustain also talked about his fondness for Arkansas broadcaster Paul Eels, who was killed in a car crash shortly before his freshman season with the Razorbacks began.
As a prep, Mustain was the quarterback of Malzahn's hurry-up, no-huddle offenses that rose to prominence in the early-to-mid 2000s at Springdale. The 6-2 Mustain was named Mr. Football in Arkansas as well as the national prep player of the year by various publications after throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and 47 touchdowns as a senior with the Bulldogs in 2005, leading them to a 14-0 record and the state's Class 5A state championship.
Since the conclusion of his college career, Mustain went unselected in the 2011 NFL Draft, played a short stint as a pitched in the Chicago White Sox minor league organization and most recently served primarily as a back-up quarterback for the San Jose Sabercats of the Arena Football League. Living in the Phoenix area, Mustain now helps local fire departments run tests and simulations.
While speaking to the media, Mustain said he still aspires to play in the NFL.
Read more about this story in tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.