Miami Hurricanes and Mario Cristobal steal 4-star TE from Colorado

The Hurricanes flipped four-star tight end Gavin Mueller from Colorado this week, landing one of the fastest-rising prospects in the 2026 class and filling a major need in their future offense. It is another major recruiting win for Mario Cristobal as the Canes have been on fire as of late. Mueller, a standout from South Elgin High School in Illinois, had been committed to the Buffaloes since May. He then took a pair of late visits and a final official visit to Miami for the NC State game.

Mueller announced his decision Tuesday night, choosing Miami over Colorado and offers from programs such as North Carolina, LSU and Alabama. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end was listed by Rivals as the No. 56 player in the nation, No. 4 among TE's and as the top overall player in Illinois.

Mueller owns an 82-inch wingspan, a reported 4.5-second 40-yard dash, a 36-inch vertical and a 10-foot broad jump. He is also relatively new to the sport. Mueller is in only his second season of high school football after previously focusing on basketball.

Once he did get on the field, the production followed in a hurry. As a senior, Mueller has totaled 1,325 yards and 30 total touchdowns while lining up at quarterback, tight end and running back on offense and playing linebacker on defense, averaging 14.8 yards per touch.

Colorado, meanwhile, takes a notable hit. The Buffaloes had positioned Mueller as a key piece of their 2026 class, and his decision is a significant setback for Deion Sanders' efforts to turn things around after a turbulent season.

Mueller becomes the Hurricanes' 30th commitment in the 2026 class and their second tight end commit, joining California product Israel Briggs. The group sits inside the top 10 nationally and No. 1 in the ACC across several recruiting services.