Will Pete Carroll return to the NFL?

Question: Do you think Pete Carroll will eventually leave USC for a pro job?

Norman Franz, San Clemente

Answer: That has been the million-dollar question ever since Pete Carroll turned down an offer to become coach of the San Francisco 49ers after the 2002 season.

Actually, it might be more accurate to call it hundreds of millions of dollars when one considers how much revenue the football program has generated over the last six years.

Carroll flirted with the Miami Dolphins in 2007 and the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins this year. He is a fanatical competitor, so the lure of returning to coach in the NFL will always have some kind of pull on him, especially if an owner offered him total control like he enjoys with the Trojans.

Before he arrived at USC, Carroll had never coached anywhere for more than five years. He’s going on season No. 8 with the Trojans and seems happy.

But at this point, I would not rule out any scenario. I can see him staying indefinitely or eventually succumbing to the siren song of the highest level of competition in football.

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Q: Can you please tell me the main reasons Mitch Mustain transferred from Arkansas? My friends and I have been mulling this over for some time now and we have all heard different reasons.

Bob Benavidez, Pico Rivera

A: Mitch Mustain has declined to comment about the specifics of why he transferred from Arkansas, but it’s clear there was some kind of major disconnect with former coach Houston Nutt.

Mustain was one of several players who left the program after the 2006 season, including receiver Damian Williams, who also is eligible this season for USC. Gus Malzahn, who coached both players at Springdale High in Arkansas, also left the Razorbacks after one season as offensive coordinator.

According to media reports, among other issues was that Mustain allegedly received a controversial e-mail from a booster that began “Hello Mr. Interception King.” Mustain’s attorney eventually requested university e-mails regarding the incident and Mustain requested Nutt’s cellphone records.

Nutt resigned after the 2007 season and became coach at Mississippi, longtime athletic director Frank Broyles stepped down and chancellor John White resigned.

When asked about it this month, Mustain said, “I think it’s definitely a situation that just shows when you don’t do things professionally, when you don’t do it properly, what can happen. What we’ve seen the past couple months has been the result of that. And that’s the difference between the program we run here and the program that’s been run there.”

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Q: How about an educated guess as to which teams will be ranked 1 through 5 in the preseason polls?

Thomas Turner, Palm Springs

A: Times writers do not participate in voting for the Associated Press media poll or other polls.

My attention, therefore, is focused mainly on USC and its opponents.

But I would guess that Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Florida and USC would be mentioned, perhaps in that order, in the various preseason polls.

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Q: A few years ago, USC received a letter of intent from a prominent Oakland linebacker by the name of Josh Tatum. Since then, he has disappeared. Did he transfer or what?

Lawrence Townsend, Los Angeles

A: Josh Tatum was a member of USC’s 2006 recruiting class but injuries forced him to redshirt his freshman season.

He asked for and was granted a release to transfer and explored attending Miami.

Tatum, however, is preparing for his second season at City College of San Francisco and is hoping to transfer to a four-year school after the 2008 season, according to Alonzo Carter, who coached Tatum at McClymonds High.

Send your questions to gary.klein@latimes.com. Please put Q & A in the subject line and include your name and city of residence.