In this installment of The Recruiting Notebook, we meet an athletic tight end who is just scratching the surface of his potential: South Elgin (IL) 4-star TE Gavin Mueller.
Stop me if you’ve heard this story before: a basketball player moves over to football and immediately becomes a game-changer at tight end. Whoever you’re thinking of right now, stop, and start thinking about South Elgin (IL) TE Gavin Mueller.
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Tight End is where he’ll end up, but that’s not the only position Mueller plays. The former basketball standout made his first foray onto the gridiron as a junior at Wheaton (IL) St. Francis, playing WR/TE on offense, and EDGE on defense. While no stats for Mueller are listed from this season, it was more about getting his first experience on the field than putting up big numbers.
If you’re looking for the big numbers, the 2025 season is where you’ll find them. After transferring to South Elgin (IL), Mueller played Tight End, Quarterback, Running Back, and Linebacker/Defensive End, posting a stat line of 1325 total yards, 14.8 yards per touch, and 30 total touchdowns. That is a testament to his athleticism that he could play all those positions, and put up those numbers, while being very new to the sport of Football.
In terms of his recruitment, Mueller got tons of offers in the spring of 2024 after his first season on the gridiron. While the first offers were regional teams like Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, and Illinois, national programs started coming around in the spring of 2025.
Mueller took stock of his recruitment and after official visits to Wisconsin, Colorado, and LSU, he decided to commit to Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes.
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After starting to show elite athleticism and a giant step forward in skill, Alabama and Miami entered the fray with scholarship offers early in October. Miami took a big step forward by prioritizing Mueller on the trail, and got him to come down to South Florida for an official visit during the week of the NC State game. I personally saw Mueller hang out on the field with his family and multiple Miami staffers after the game, and knew then that this was a done deal. And it was: Mueller decommitted from Colorado and flipped to Miami 3 days after his visit.
On the 247sports composite, Mueller is a 4-star prospect, the #7 TE nationally, #4 in the State of Illinois, and #150 player overall in this class.
Mueller flipped his commitment to Miami from Colorado, and over a robust list of 26 scholarship offers from around the country, including original finalists LSU and Wisconsin among many others.
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Mueller has prototypical size at 6’6” 255lbs. He’s tall and well-built with great arm length and wingspan. While Miami may have played some undersized players at Tight End in the past, that will not be the case with Mueller. He’s the prototype.
With 1,325 total yards and 30 TDs as a senior, Mueller is a productive player who turns athleticism and potential into on-field performance. He’s bigger, faster, and stronger than nearly every player he competes against in his HSFB classification, and it looks like it. That bodes well for both Mueller and Miami, because he’s a high level athlete and able to show it when it counts, whereas other players struggle to dominate players who aren’t as gifted or skilled as they are.
The thing that really stands out on film is Mueller’s change of direction skills. He shows short area quickness in and out of breaks and cuts that you’d expect from much smaller players. This is a good thing, because those movement skills should translate well into explosive plays and tons of yardage at the college level.
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As a receiver, Mueller played both the traditional Y tight end (think the Elijah Arroyo position) and also X receiver (he’s the best player on his HSFB team). He runs a wide array of routes from both spots, but he’s at his best getting vertical up the seam. Again, think Elijah Arroyo in this regard (I think you see the comparison I’m going to go with later) for a mental picture. Still, Mueller would be well-served to refine the routes he runs, and add a few others from the route tree to his skillset.
The big area for growth in Mueller’s game is blocking. I’m not saying he’s afraid of contact or anything, but with him being the best offensive weapon for his team, Mueller is rarely asked to block. So, this really comes down to a lack of reps for experience more than a lack of ability. Still, with the standard that every non-QB has to be able to block to see the field on offense at Miami, Mueller will need to greatly develop his technique in this area of his game.
For another look at Mueller, here’s an eval from 247sports National Recruiting Analyst Hudson Standish:
Estimated to hover around 6-foot-5, 255 pounds with an 82-inch wingspan and above-the-rim athleticism that translates from the court to the field. Played his first season of high school football as a junior, working at WR/TE and defensive end for Wheaton (Ill.) St. Francis.
Profiles as an in-line Y tight end at the next level who can use his physicality at the LOS to create running lanes and his frame to box out defenders at the first two levels. Has shown the ability to make plays at the catch point and excels at tracking the football in crowded conditions. Played through a shoulder injury and underwent surgery following his first season of football, should be viewed as a high-upside attached tight end who could blossom into a key piece for a College Football Playoff contender.
Strengths
Prototypical Height/Length
Quickness/Change of Direction
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Weaknesses
Still relatively new to footballs
Low caliber competition in HS
To see the kind of player Miami is getting in Mueller, check out his junior highlights below:
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Note: changed this up from just a freshman-season outlook to a career outlook for each player a few years ago and we’re continuing that style this year as well.
Mueller is the prototypical Tight End for the modern game. He has the height, length, and athleticism to be an impact offensive player for the Canes. As noted above, Mueller’s ability to get his blocking up to game readiness will be the key factor to early playing time.
Miami has a loaded roster and a stacked Tight End room. While Mueller has every chance to be a foundational part of Miami’s offensive attack, he’ll have to surpass several players on the roster to get there. Even if it takes a year to get up to speed, I fully expect Mueller to be a valuable rotation-level player for the Canes in the years to come.
That’s it for this installment of The Recruiting Notebook.
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