KC’s Mudia Reuben wanted to play D-I soccer. Instead, he might be Stanford’s breakout WR

Park Hill South graduate Mudia Reuben isn’t your typical college wideout. His journey between the white lines didn’t start as a young child and he didn’t grow up with NFL dreams.

Football wasn’t his first love either.

It was soccer.

Growing up, Reuben wanted to be a professional soccer player. He still remembers calling his dad in the third or fourth grade to tell him he wanted to play competitive soccer with a bunch of friends and eventually compete at the next level.

That didn’t change until he picked up a football for the first time in the summer of 2020, after his travel soccer season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By the next summer, Reuben, who graduated high school in 2022, decided to hang up the soccer cleats and commit fully to football.

Now, he’s preparing for a breakout sophomore season at Stanford.

“Every time that I play, I feel like I’m getting better and it just makes it more and more exciting,” Reuben told The Star. “I’m excited to show that on film this year, and it’s going to be really evident and a real observable thing.”

When Reuben’s older brother, Etinosa, quit soccer after his freshman year at Park Hill South to play football, Reuben viewed it as a statement — not that football was the better option, but that Reuben was the better soccer player between the two.

But over time, that decision made the most sense for Etinosa, who went on to play at Clemson and has since transferred to Georgia Tech. Etinosa also pulled in offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and many others by the end of his junior year. He was 6-3, 230 pounds as a freshman, according to former Park Hill South coach Alan Wilmes, who is now at Blue Springs South.

Having seen Etinosa’s success playing football, Wilmes and former Park Hill South receivers coach OJ Simpson turned their attention to Reuben, who had a similarly strong frame.

Unlike his older brother, Reuben wouldn’t budge.

“I end up meeting him one day, and I can tell he has big hands. He had some length looking at his arms (and it’s) like, ‘Oh, you should play some football,’” Simpson told The Star. “And he laughs at me, he laughs it off. ... I started getting his friends, his brother, his sister, anybody I could, other coaches, like, ‘Hey, stay on this guy. I think he can be special if we get him out there.’”

But Reuben, now listed at 6-2, 205 pounds, was still focused on his chances of playing D-I soccer, especially after he earned All-Conference and All-District honors during his sophomore year and scored three goals in a state sectional game. Reuben said he was in close contact with St. Louis University about college soccer, and he was optimistic about his junior season after a state quarterfinal loss.

That spring, however, the pandemic hit, canceling his travel soccer season. And with the unexpected free time, Reuben started going to the football field with his friends — sometimes playing in seven-on-seven scrimmages.

Reuben said he wasn’t “crazy good” at the time; he was just athletic. So to see how he matched up against actual football players, he signed up for the Kansas City Showcase, hosted by former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Samie Parker.

There, Reuben’s raw talent caught the eyes of some reporters. He noticed articles being written about his football skills and decided to attend Parker’s second showcase in July.

He also called Wilmes, who — after initially missing his call while on a jog — spoke with Reuben and heard some good news.

“We kind of talked about him just trying it out in the summer and doing summer camps with us and seeing if he liked it,” Wilmes said. “He was just a little worried about (how), you know, he could be a college soccer player, but trying football is a leap of faith.”

Securing a college offer

Reuben turned even more heads at the second showcase, balling out and solidifying his name on the college recruitment map.

So much so, that a few days later the University of Kansas offered him a full-ride scholarship in football — something more challenging to attain in college soccer, which has smaller rosters and partial scholarships.

He still hadn’t played a down of high school football.

Reuben had football practice later that day and felt uncomfortable given he had received his Power Five offer quicker than many of his teammates. He won over teammates, however, by showing his strong work ethic and developing skill set.

By the second week of the season, Reuben picked up his second offer from Kansas State.

“His high speed and body control was what (colleges) saw, same as us,” Simpson said. “’Every ball that’s in the air is your ball, it belongs to you and no one else.’ And I think he just grabbed that mentality and started to understand that’s when the game became a lot easier for him.”

By the end of the year, Reuben was named Park Hill South’s newcomer of the year and a first-team All-Conference selection. He also highlighted teammates Gaige Warren, now at Missouri Western State, and Eric Avery for helping teach him important receiver skills.

While he had moved on from soccer, Reuben’s dual-sport experience came in handy. Reuben noted soccer strengthened his footwork, which helped him get off the line and into his breaks quicker.

Eventually, Reuben’s offer log included Air Force, Arkansas State, Stanford, Tulane, Vanderbilt and Yale, in addition to the local schools and others, per 247Sports. He was slotted as the No. 600 player in the nation in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

“(His soccer background) really made him pick up things in the game fast,” Wilmes said. “Compare it to soccer, you’re making this cut like you’re driving to the goal line, you know, the center of the goalposts — it’s kind of like running a post.”

Committing full-time to football

Reuben ultimately stopped playing soccer entering his senior year. He held off because he wanted to play in one more U.S. Youth Soccer National League game over the summer, but he felt it was time to focus on football afterward, particularly while nursing an injury to his thigh/hip area.

Surgery was an option, but knowing it would keep him off the field for around six weeks, Reuben chose to move forward and play out his senior season. He ended up having a big year: 1,008 receiving yards, 14 touchdowns and winning the Otis Taylor Award as KC’s top receiver.

In November, he committed to Stanford.

Simpson was floored by Reuben’s production, especially given how much attention he received from opposing defenses.

“He’ll get double-, triple-teamed and he’d outrun everybody or just go up and get it,” Simpson said. “He has a crazy range, his feet are actually really good for as tall as he is ... which is a thing that you have to have to play on Sundays.”

Now in his sophomore year at Stanford, Reuben is driving toward a breakout season under new coach Troy Taylor, who is also acting as offensive coordinator. As a freshman, Reuben appeared in all 12 games and finished with two receiving touchdowns.

Wilmes and Reuben both expect Stanford to throw the ball more this year, and both are excited for the upcoming season. Reuben also maintains his connection to soccer, taking his cleats to campus to play intramural soccer when he gets the chance in the offseason.

But football is No. 1, and Reuben sees this year as his chance to emerge as a large part of the offense, and possibly even move toward NFL opportunities — which could come after his junior season.

“My skill development has like shot up as fast as it ever has,” Reuben said. “Whether it be here or in high school or even on the soccer field, like when the ball is in my hand or the ball is at my feet, whatever — when I have possession of the ball, I don’t fail to make plays or make something come of it.”