2024 Football Roster
Xander Mueller
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 232
- Position:
- LB
- Class:
- Graduate Student
- Hometown:
- Wheaton, Ill.
- High School:
- Wheaton North
2024 Graduate Student:
Started in nine games, registering 57 tackles, five tackles for loss, four pass breakups, one interception, one sack, one forced fumble, and one recovery … Served as a team captain and named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention, Academic All-Big Ten, and CSC Academic All-District Team … Ranked 17th among Big Ten players in tackles per game (6.3) … Had five tackles and one tackle for loss in a win over Miami (Ohio) (8/31) … Totaled a season-high 11 tackles and one pass breakup against Duke (9/6) … Broke up a career-best two passes while coming up with four tackles in a win against Eastern Illinois (9/14) … Registered a game-high eight tackles, a team-high two tackles for loss, one sack, and one fumble recovery at Washington (9/21) … Led the team with eight tackles against Indiana (10/5) … Returned from injury and recorded his first interception of the season while forcing a fumble to go along with nine tackles (11/23) at Michigan … Was the first Wildcat to force a fumble and record an interception in the same game since Bryce Gallagher on October 1, 2022 at Penn State … Capped off his collegiate career with five tackles vs. Illinois (11/30)
2023 Redshirt Junior:
Started all 13 games, totaling 110 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, three interceptions, two passes broken up, and one forced fumble … Named All-Big Ten Third Team and Academic All-Big Ten … Finished fourth in the Big Ten in total tackles and eighth in tackles for loss … Led the team in tackles for loss for the second consecutive year … Became the first Wildcat since at least 2000 to post 100+ tackles, 5.0+ sacks and 3+ interceptions in the same season, and just the third player in the Big Ten since 2000 … Recorded the most interceptions by a Big Ten linebacker in a season since Northwestern’s Blake Gallagher in 2019 (3) … Made eight tackles in the season-opener against Rutgers (9/3) … Tallied seven tackles, 1.0 sack, and an interception against UTEP (9/9) … Teamed up with Bryce Gallagher to become the first duo of Northwestern linebackers to record interceptions in the same game since Dec. 12, 2020, vs. Illinois … Had seven tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against Duke (9/16) … Notched game-highs of seven solo tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, and forced a safety against Howard (10/7) … Posted career single-game highs in tackles for loss and sacks … Recorded nine tackles against Nebraska (10/21) … Had five tackles and 1.0 sack in a win over Maryland (10/28) … Broke up a pass on 4th and goal from the one-yard line to force a turnover on downs in the second quarter … Notched a career-high 19 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and one pass broken up at Wrigley Field versus Iowa (11/4) … Tied Bryce Gallagher’s performance against Rutgers for most tackles (19) in a single-game by a Wildcat this season … Posted second double-digit tackle performance with 13 stops, 0.5 tackles for loss, and one interception against Purdue (11/18) … Tallied nine tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and one interception, recording a pick for the second straight week, in a road victory over Illinois (11/25) … Made eight stops in the Las Vegas Bowl win over Utah (12/23)
2022 Redshirt Sophomore:
Started all 12 games, recording 87 tackles, 52 solo tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, two passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery … Ranked fifth in the Big Ten in solo tackles and 11th in total tackles … Led team in tackles for loss and interceptions, and ranked second on the team in tackles … Became the first Wildcat to record 85+ tackles with 10.0+ tackles for loss in a season since Anthony Walker in 2016 … Named to PFF’s Team of the Week after snagging first career interception and tackle for loss along with five tackles to help defeat Nebraska (8/27) … Totaled seven tackles against Duke (9/10) … Grabbed his second career interception of the season and recorded first career sack and a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss as part of eight total tackles against Southern Illinois (9/17) … Logged a career and game-high 14 tackles, 0.5 tackle for loss, a pass defended and a fumble recovery against Penn State (10/1) … Totaled seven tackles, four solo, against Wisconsin (10/8) … Made 10 total tackles and had a tackle for loss against Maryland (10/22) … Recorded one sack and nine total tackles against Iowa (10/29) … Totaled six tackles and one pass defended against Ohio State (11/5) … Made six tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack against Illinois (11/26)
2021 Redshirt First-Year:
Appeared in 11 of 12 games … Totaled 19 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks and a forced fumble … Recorded his first combined tackle for loss and combined sack against Ohio (9/25) … Notched a career-high eight tackles and forced his first career fumble against Wisconsin (11/13)
2020 First-Year:
Appeared in season opener against Maryland (10/24), his lone game of 2020 … Redshirted
High School:
Three-star prospect committed to Northwestern on April 13, 2019 … 56th-ranked outside linebacker in the nation and 15th-ranked player in Illinois (247Sports) … Three-year letter winner and two-time captain … Recorded 100-plus tackles in of his final two prep seasons … Finished 2018 with 109 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and three interceptions to earn First-Team All-Conference, First-Team All-Area and Team Defensive MVP honors … Had 102 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception in his senior campaign to garner First-Team All-Conference, First-Team All-Area and First-Team All-State 7A honors … Also lettered twice in basketball and was a team captain … National Honor Society Member … Earned Gold Honor Roll accolades as a freshman, sophomore and junior … Brother Erik played linebacker for the Wildcats … Attended the same high school of former Wildcat quarterback Clayton Thorson … Chose NU over Air Force, Louisville, Bowling Green, Kent State, Ohio, Toledo and Eastern Michigan … Major is Manufacturing and Design Engineering
Pronunciation: ZAN-der
