Editorβs note: Over 10 days, the Star is counting down the top high school football players in Tucson. Up next: Pusch Ridge Christian linebacker Tyler Mustain.
Name: Tyler Mustain
Rundown: Mustain is a 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound senior linebacker and running back at Pusch Ridge Christian.
Who he is: Football runs deep in the Mustain household.
Mustainβs older brother, C.J., plays for the United States Merchant Marine Academy, while the youngest Mustain, Bubba, is set to quarterback Pusch Ridge Christian this season as a junior. The Lions open their season Saturday against Waddell American Leadership Academy-West Foothills.
The Mustains βjust come from good stock,β said Pusch Ridge Christian coach Kent Middleton. βThey come from a good gene pool, and they love their sports. They love their athletics, they love competing and theyβre competitors. Itβs a pleasure to see that in our program.β
Tyler and Bubba Mustain often get chippy at practice, though the older brother says thereβs βno animosity.β
βMe and him are always competitive, so we trash-talk each other in practice and thatβs pretty enjoyable to me,β he said.
Tyler Mustain is also expected to play running back for the Lions, but his domain is on the other side of the ball.
βI like playing linebacker a lot, because Iβm in the middle of everything, so I always have an opportunity to make a play,β Mustain said. βI like that aspect of it. Plus, I can read something and call it to the defensive line. If I see something, I try to exploit it, and I enjoy that aspect of it as well.β
Mustain, a two-time Class 3A South Defensive Player of the Year, has 189 tackles, 11.5 sacks and two forced fumbles over his varsity career.
βHe doesnβt have a second gear; itβs always full-go,β Middleton said. βHis motor is constantly going. He doesnβt take any plays off and certainly doesnβt take any reps off in practice. Itβs fun to watch, and we have to tell him to not dive for footballs in practice. Sometimes we have to tell him to slow down, because he only knows one speed, and thatβs full-go.
βVery intelligent and very physical. I canβt say enough about Tyler, honestly. Heβs a one-in-a-million football player. His work ethic is incredible, heβs strong and his practice habits are fantastic. Heβs got a 4.2 GPA β heβs just the total package, thereβs no doubt about it.β
Mustain grew up a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan, and always studied Sean Lee; now, itβs Micah Parsons, the 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Aside from football, Mustain plays midfielder for the Oro Valley Wolverines, a local club lacrosse team.
βYeah, Iβll probably retire from lacrosse when I go on to play at the next level,β Mustain said.
Proof heβs good: In May, Mustain landed a scholarship offer from Northern Arizona while on an official visit to Flagstaff.
βI was very excited. I was thrilled. When I got the offer, I was at NAU for their junior day. β¦ Couple of my buddies were there to walk around the campus,β Mustain said. β(Pusch Ridge Christian defensive end) Will Way β weβve been best friends since the first grade β was there, so being able to celebrate that with him is something Iβll never forget.β
He said it: βI think Tyler is definitely a Division I football player. Heβs the total package. He may not be the fastest, but he makes up for it because heβs so intelligent and he knows the game so well. And heβs physical. Boy, is he physical. Heβll knock you into the next world.β β Middleton