High school football countdown, No. 8: Pusch Ridge's Tyler Mustain 'a one-in-a-million football player'

Editor’s 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.

Mustain’s 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 “just come from good stock,” said Pusch Ridge Christian coach Kent Middleton. “They come from a good gene pool, and they love their sports. They love their athletics, they love competing and they’re competitors. It’s a pleasure to see that in our program.”

Tyler and Bubba Mustain often get chippy at practice, though the older brother says there’s “no animosity.”

“Me and him are always competitive, so we trash-talk each other in practice and that’s pretty enjoyable to me,” 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.

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“I like playing linebacker a lot, because I’m in the middle of everything, so I always have an opportunity to make a play,” Mustain said. “I 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.”

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.

“He doesn’t have a second gear; it’s always full-go,” Middleton said. “His motor is constantly going. He doesn’t take any plays off and certainly doesn’t take any reps off in practice. It’s 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 that’s full-go.

“Very intelligent and very physical. I can’t say enough about Tyler, honestly. He’s a one-in-a-million football player. His work ethic is incredible, he’s strong and his practice habits are fantastic. He’s got a 4.2 GPA — he’s just the total package, there’s no doubt about it.”

Mustain grew up a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan, and always studied Sean Lee; now, it’s 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.

“Yeah, I’ll probably retire from lacrosse when I go on to play at the next level,” Mustain said.

Proof he’s good: In May, Mustain landed a scholarship offer from Northern Arizona while on an official visit to Flagstaff.

“I was very excited. I was thrilled. When I got the offer, I was at NAU for their junior day. … Couple of my buddies were there to walk around the campus,” Mustain said. “(Pusch Ridge Christian defensive end) Will Way — we’ve been best friends since the first grade — was there, so being able to celebrate that with him is something I’ll never forget.”

He said it: “I think Tyler is definitely a Division I football player. He’s the total package. He may not be the fastest, but he makes up for it because he’s so intelligent and he knows the game so well. And he’s physical. Boy, is he physical. He’ll knock you into the next world.” — Middleton