Mike Rose playing for UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks as he seeks long-term NFL opportunity

ARLINGTON, Texas — Mike Rose split 2023 between St. Louis of the XFL and Miami of the NFL.

But after a foot injury slowed him late in the XFL season and carried over into his time with the Dolphins, the former Iowa State standout is elated to be healthy and back with St. Louis, which now plays in the United Football League (UFL), a league created when the XFL and United States Football League (USFL) merged.

“No (lingering issues with my foot), I’m feeling really good now,” Rose, 23, said recently. “Sadly, I had a longer break than I wanted. We’ve had three practices now. Just been flying around, everything feels good.”

‘We were the culture changers at Iowa State’

Rose was a Cyclone between 2018 and 2021. As a junior, he was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and twice earned recognition as a first-team All-Big 12 performer. Understandably, his tenure at ISU is a time he remembers fondly.

“Obviously, some of the best years of my life. Everyone that came in, we had a goal, and we changed the way of the program there my four years,” he said. “We were the culture changers at Iowa State. Hopefully, these guys now, these young guys, can keep that going and do whatever their goals are now, Big 12 championship, anything at this point.”

And like many who have played for him, he credits ISU head coach Matt Campbell, at the helm for the Cyclones since 2016, for the immeasurable impact he had on him on and off the field.

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“Yeah, to this day Coach Campbell is my guy and I’d still run through a brick wall for him. I feel like that’s how a lot of his players are,” Rose said. “Not only is he a good football coach, but he is a perfect leader for young men, especially in their early years coming out of high school.

“I’m not the person I am today without him. That’s more powerful than any wins or losses. He leads by example and develops young men.”

Iowa State connections in St. Louis

Rose is constantly reminded of his Cyclone roots with the Battlehawks, which open their 2024 season March 30 at Michigan, as one five ISU products vying for a spot on the 2024 roster, a group that includes receiver Hakeem Butler, fellow linebacker Willie Harvey Jr., and kicker Drew Mevis.

“Me, Willie and Hakeem, we all played in 2018 together. I feel like we’re all impact players,” Rose said. “It’s a testament to Iowa State and what we did there. Talk about guys coming to work every day, honing in on their craft, and leading by example. The other part of it too is having old friends coming back into your life. Seeing familiar faces, no matter where you are, is always a positive.

“I love those guys to death. I know they’ve got big goals and aspirations. I hope for nothing but the best for those guys.”

Mike Rose’s NFL goals

Rose also has spent time in the NFL since leaving Ames. In 2022, he was with Kansas City as a member of the Chiefs’ practice squad before spending part of last season in Miami with the Dolphins. Like many players early in his pro career, he feels getting that first taste of NFL life was nice, but when he gets his next opportunity there, he wants it to be more of a long-term thing.

“I have obviously a lot more goals and aspirations but feel like everything happens for a reason. I’ve learned great things in both systems I’ve been in and try to take those things with me,” Rose said. “If God blesses me with another opportunity, I just hope I’m fully prepared and can finally reach that goal of being on a roster.

“My time in the NFL has been short-lived two places. I don’t want to do that anymore. I’ve just got to take what I’ve learned from my experiences because they’ve both been good, but if I get another opportunity, hoping it’s a different outcome.”

Speaking of the NFL, with the Battlehawks, he’s again playing under Anthony Becht, a former NFL tight end who played for more than a decade in the league and is now in his second season as St. Louis’ head coach. And Becht, in his first stint as a head coach at any level, likes plenty about Rose.

“Mike Rose has played a lot of football. When you’re one of the best players, a defensive player of the year in a major conference in the Big 12, that says something,” Becht said. “He’s a four-year starter. He deserves to be on an NFL football team. He’s a stud.

“He’s going to have a great year. He’s really worked on his body. He looks fast. He’s got great instincts, but he also has that talent, that movement, that gets him there even faster. If you ask me, he’s really going to push it this year to get in, not just on a training camp roster, but push forward and be there for one of these teams in the NFL.”

Rose has enjoyed playing for Becht in the Gateway City and calls it a bonus that Becht’s son, Rocco, now is the starting quarterback in Ames and was named 2023 Big 12 Freshman of the Year after a strong debut campaign for ISU.

“You’d have no idea this was his first major role as a head coach. (He has) a lot of similarities with Campbell,” Rose said. “He’s been in our situation and even before he got into coaching, he was always helping players in Florida. It’s something he has a natural knack for. He’s been a great leader for us.

“I’m excited to see how this year goes. He’s been great so far. I look at him as Iowa State blood a little bit, too. That’s always good.”

Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.