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Miami Hurricanes TE room grows stronger with signing of explosive athlete Gavin Mueller

Stephen Wagner covers recruiting for the University of Miami for On3 Sports and CaneSport. He can be found on Twitter at @stephenwag22 and reached at Stephen.Wagner@On3.com.by: Stephen Wagner19 hours agostephenwagOn3

Miami historically hasn’t had exceptionally strong recruiting ties to the Midwest, but that’s steadily changed in recent years with additions of players like Justin Scott and Marquise Lightfoot in the 2024 cycle and Brock Schott and Luka Gilbert in 2025.

The Canes continued their recent Midwest recruiting success Wednesday when they formally added top-60 tight end Gavin Mueller.

The South Elgin (Ill.) No. 56 overall prospect and No. 6 tight end signed with Miami Wednesday as one of two tight ends in the Hurricanes’ 2026 class. Mueller came as a somewhat surprising late addition to Miami’s class, but when the Hurricanes circled him on their recruiting board, they stopped at nothing to land his commitment.

Mueller committed to Colorado in May and remained solid with the Buffaloes through the summer, but his stock quickly rose with Miami’s staff in October. The Hurricanes formally offered him Oct. 12 and worked quickly to get him to campus for a game-day visit for the Canes’ game against Stanford Oct. 25. Serious buzz picked up around Miami for Mueller by the end of the month as the Hurricanes climbed ahead of North Carolina and Alabama as threats to the Buffaloes.

Mueller then scheduled an official visit to Miami for the Hurricanes’ home finale against NC State Nov. 15, and Miami took the clear lead by the end of the weekend. He pulled the trigger on his pledge the following Tuesday.

“A big part for me was just my relationship with the coaches,” Mueller told CaneSport after his commitment. “The tight ends coach but especially coach (Mario) Cristobal. He took us, the recruits, he gave us a tour and he drove the recruits around, just me and three other dudes in his car. That’s different. You never hear of stuff like that. That’s very hands-on, and I definitely felt like my recruitment was very personal and hands-on from him. You don’t see that a lot.”

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound prospect shares similar traits to former Michigan standout and first-round draft pick Colston Loveland, who is listed on the Chicago Bears’ website as 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds. Mueller recorded 1,325 all-purpose yards, 17 rushing touchdowns and six receiving touchdowns during the nine-game regular season of his senior year while Loveland had 1,320 total yards, 14 receiving touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns. Both were heavily featured at quarterback for their respective high schools and had roles more closely resembling true athletes than traditional tight ends.

Meet Gavin Mueller: The Miami commit with Colston Loveland-like traits

Mueller was also one of the biggest risers in Rivals’ fall rankings recruiting updates after climbing a grand total of 460 spots from his commitment to Colorado in mid-May to his flip to Miami three weeks before signing day.

“I’m stoked!” Mueller said about his commitment to Miami Nov. 18. “There’s not a team I would rather play for. The community, the fanbase, the coaching staff, even the teachers are excited for Miami football and that’s unique. So I’m really excited about that and just being able to play with a bunch of guys who are like-minded is just going to create the best competition. I’m stoked just to get out there and get with the guys and the people and play as hard as I can for the school.”

CaneSport’s Take

Mueller projects as a do-it-all tight end who we think could be ready to see the field sooner than later. He’s gotten remarkably better in a short amount of time after only starting playing football two years ago, which we think puts him on pace to be able to contribute quickly if he continues to improve at this rate.

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