Former K-State football star Ryan Mueller took winding path to XFL championship game

Ryan Mueller knows everything there is to know about playing in the XFL.

Over the past several months the former Kansas State star has quite literally seen it all as a member of Dwayne Johnson’s upstart football league. He even met “The Rock” last summer.

Mueller has since become a regular on the transactions report. The Arlington Renegades drafted him. Then he was cut and re-signed. Next he was traded to the Vegas Vipers only to be cut again. Somehow, he is now back with the Renegades and he has improbably carved out a meaningful defensive role with them at age 32.

To top it all off, the Renegades are winning. They will play in the XFL Championship game at 7 p.m. on Saturday in San Antonio.

“My last game at Kansas State was inside the Alamodome,” Mueller said in a phone interview this week. “I’m not going to say this is my last professional football game, but we’re getting down to the wire for sure, and it will be at the Alamadome, too. I’m really looking forward to it. It would be awesome to put that on my resume and say I know what it’s like to win a championship in professional football.”

It has been a wild journey for Mueller. Perhaps the wildest thing about it is that he thought he was finished with football at this time last year.

After his college career ended with 116 tackles and 16.5 sacks at K-State, Mueller struggled to find a long-term home in the professional ranks.

He lasted a full season with the San Diego Chargers as a member of their practice squad and then signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a fullback. But he never caught on in the NFL. So he tried the Canadian Football League and then latched onto the XFL when Vince McMahon brought it back in 2020. Mueller played well, but the season was cut short due to COVID.

That was the last time he wore pads.

He stepped away from the game for three years and began managing his own landscaping company in Kansas City. It seemed like his playing days were over.

“Three years away from professional sports is like a death sentence,” Mueller said. “It’s such a long period of time, and this is a young man’s game.”

Against those odds, he went from cutting grass and pruning bushes to making tackles and sacking quarterbacks.

“I’m still fast and I’m still strong,” Mueller said. “I’m still more than capable and healthy. I’ve been very fortunate and haven’t had any serious injuries playing this game. That has really helped me to stay in shape for a very long time.”

Mueller has only played in three games this season as an outside linebacker, but he has made the most of them by logging five tackles, including a pair for loss.

His biggest highlight came late in the season when he blew up a reverse and helped shift momentum in the game. The Renegades are only allowing 18.6 points per game, and Mueller is proud to say he plays on “the No. 1 defense in the XFL.”

Moments like that are why he decided to keep playing, even though the odds of him reaching the NFL again are slim.

It has also given him an opportunity to play for coach Bob Stoops after going against him throughout his college career with the Wildcats.

“There were a lot of things I wanted to prove to myself that I could still do,” Mueller said. “I’ve always been encouraged by my coaches to play as long as I can and as hard as I can. I still enjoy playing and I love that I can keep up with these guys, even though I’m eight years older than some of them. A lot of people are surprised when I tell them I’m 32.”

Mueller also greatly aided his team by being part of the trade package that brought in current starting quarterback Luis Perez midway through the season.

A team official said the Renegades were thrilled when the Vipers cut Mueller, which allowed the Renegades to re-sign him for their playoff push.

Playing for Stoops has also been a thrill. As Bill Snyder disciples, they have no problem getting along.

His only regret about playing in the XFL is that this league wasn’t around when he was younger. Had it existed after Mueller failed to earn a permanent roster spot with the Chargers and Eagles, he thinks he could have showcased his skills in the XFL and potentially returned to the NFL at some point.

It’s probably too late for that now.

Then again, K-State has been pumping out lots of NFL talent lately. Maybe an XFL playmaker could join them.

“I don’t know how much the Kansas City Chiefs would be welcome to signing a 32-year old outside linebacker,” Mueller said. “I’m sure that would create some headlines. But I certainly would take on the challenge. I know they got a couple of K-State guys already on on the team. They just drafted Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Wyatt Hubert was in there for rookie mini camp. I live right down the street. Get us all three in there.”