updated 7:56 p.m. ET Feb. 3, 2006

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The hoopla has died down a bit. The state can breathe easy. Mitch Mustain decided to stay home for school.

Mustain, one of the nation’s top high school quarterbacks, plans to attend Arkansas. Now, of course, comes the hard part for the Razorbacks’ would-be savior — handling the pressure from thousands of success-starved fans.

“They’re going to expect a lot out of me,” Mustain said this week. “At the same time, they’ve got to realize, it’s a new game for me too.”

Mustain is expected to sign with Arkansas on Wednesday, the first day — and by far the busiest — of the national signing period.

When Mustain makes it official, it will formally end a recruiting saga that has captivated the region for months. Mustain played high school football at Springdale, about 20 minutes from Arkansas’ campus in Fayetteville. He initially committed to the Razorbacks in August, then said in early December he was considering other schools.

Finally, two weeks ago, Mustain announced he would play for Houston Nutt at Arkansas, choosing the Razorbacks over Notre Dame, Tennessee and Alabama.

Mustain’s decision could hardly have come at a better time for Nutt. Arkansas went 4-7 in 2005, missing the postseason for the second straight year after going to a bowl each of Nutt’s first six seasons.

Nutt didn’t mention Mustain by name — NCAA rules prevent coaches from talking about a specific recruit before he signs a letter of intent. But there’s no denying the Arkansas coach is excited about his class.

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“To have the No. 1 player come out of your own state, you really need him,” Nutt said. “You really need him to go to your school — and so that was huge.”

Mustain is actually ranked No. 3 among overall recruits by College Sports Television recruiting expert Tom Lemming and No. 10 by Rivals.com. But that’s of little consequence to Arkansas fans, many of whom have seen first hand what Mustain can do.

Springdale had one of the most dominant seasons in state history in 2005, going 14-0 and outscoring its opponents 664-118.

Mustain, who was already earning national attention before the season began, lived up to the hype. He completed a state-record 70.4 percent of his passes in 2005, throwing for 3,817 yards and 47 touchdowns. Mustain won the Gatorade national player of the year award and Parade Magazine player of the year.

Less than a week after Springdale won the state title, reports surfaced that Mustain might be reconsidering his commitment — and the pressure on Nutt and the Razorbacks increased again.

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Rick Schaeffer was Arkansas’ sports information director for more than two decades and now is a color analyst on basketball broadcasts. He also co-hosts a sports talk radio show. Schaeffer defended Nutt’s performance in recent years, but he understands fans have been growing impatient.

“Houston’s a good recruiter, but the question comes up: ’Well if he can’t sign the quarterback from 15 minutes from his school, who can he sign?”’ said Schaeffer, who has also announced Springdale games.

Mustain’s recruitment was even more important because Arkansas averaged only 143.7 yards passing per game last season, never finding a clear cut No. 1 quarterback to go with dynamic freshman running back Darren McFadden.

Around the time Mustain reopened his recruitment, Nutt was making staff changes. For the first time, he hired an offensive coordinator. The choice: Gus Malzahn, Mustain’s coach at Springdale.

Malzahn had made no secret of his desire to move to the college level — and Arkansas seemed a natural fit well before Mustain reconsidered his commitment. Malzahn’s hiring didn’t immediately secure Mustain.

In mid-January, Mustain finally recommitted to Arkansas.

Now he’s excited about playing for Malzahn, who has said he’ll incorporate elements of his hurry-up offense with the Razorbacks.

And Mustain won’t be the only Springdale product headed to Arkansas. Receiver Andrew Norman committed to the Razorbacks early, and since Malzahn was hired, a pair of Springdale recruits — receiver Damian Williams and tight end Ben Cleveland — have switched from Florida to Arkansas.

“I can’t wait to see that,” Mustain said of the Springdale influx at Arkansas. “I think it’ll work out for the best.”

Razorbacks fans can only hope so. After a pair of frustrating seasons, they’ve been looking forward to signing day and hoping.

“There’s this euphoria over getting this quarterback,” Schaeffer said. “Razorback fans I know are out there saying, ’Back to the promised land with Mitch Mustain.”’

Will there be a fairy tale ending for Mustain and the Razorbacks? Only time will tell.

“There was pressure on Houston, I’m sure there was much pressure on Mitch, pressure on Gus Malzahn, pressure on a lot of people,” Schaeffer said. “You hope it’s a story that ends well. He is definitely a talented quarterback.”

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