Football spotlight: Sam Houston's David Mustapha

By Shawn Smajstrla

Special to the Star-Telegram

Class: Senior

His story: He came into this season as a wide receiver, but injuries created a need on defense and his previous experience on that side of the ball made him a perfect candidate to fill in at cornerback. In the Texans' Sept. 15 game against Arlington Seguin, Mustapha saw his first action of the season on defense. Last week against Fort Worth Paschal, Mustapha logged three interceptions, one returned for a touchdown; a sack; seven tackles; two tackles for loss; and two pass breakups. He also had a second interception return for a touchdown overturned by penalty.

His goal: Coming into the season his goal was to have 500 yards receiving, but that obviously changed once he moved back to the defensive side of the ball. Now, he says his goal is just to help the team by going out there and making stops.

He said: "In the off-season [the coaches] told me I was too short to play corner and that offense would be a good place for me. I figured, 'OK, I'll take the opportunity,' so I moved. But then one of our safeties got injured, so they needed me to step in. So I moved back to defense to help out the team. I love playing defense. I started out playing defense and then moved to offense just to see if that fit me, but I guess it doesn't. I love it on defense. I watch a lot of film to know the opponent better, so when game day comes, I know what I'm doing out there."

Sam Houston coach Anthony Criss said: "He was a cornerback for us last year as a sophomore in the spring. He's a little guy -- he's only about 5-foot-6 -- so last spring, because of his quickness, we moved him to inside receiver. Well, due to a couple of injuries we suffered on the defensive side of the ball, we knew he had defensive back experience, so we put him back over there. He's our punt blocker; he's out extra point blocker; he's just all over the place. He's a pretty amazing little guy. He has excellent ball skills, and he has a natural feel for the game. Some kids just have it, and defensively David has it. He's just always around the ball and has great hands. He's just an electric, dynamic player. And he's a jokester. You know the class clown? Well, he's the team clown. David keeps everybody loose and keeps everybody laughing. He always has a smile on his face. Even in the most serious moments, he can crack the ice and say something funny to get everybody going. He's just an outstanding young man and an outstanding kid."

Fun fact: Mustapha was born in Sierra Leone and moved to the United States when he was about 8 years old. He credits his uncle for introducing and teaching the game of football to him.

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