Miami will be without one of its developing tight ends for the entire 2026 season. Mario Cristobal confirmed on 560 WQAM's Joe Rose Show that Luka Gilbert got hurt over the summer while home, will miss the year, and is expected back in 2027.
The update came during a roster check-in that also included the program parting ways with defensive end Hayden Lowe, defensive back Jontavius Wyman stepping away for the season, and better news on defensive end Third Scroggins, who is returning from a minor injury of his own.
Mario Cristobal confirms on the Joe Rose Show (WQAM) that DE Hayden Lowe and CB Jontavius Wyman are no longer with the football program.
— Geo Milian (@GeoMilian) August 4, 2026
TE Luka Gilbert will miss the season with an injury. pic.twitter.com/4zWe8NG8uy
Miami TE Luka Gilbert to miss 2026 season with injury
A four-star recruit out of Lakota West High School in West Chester, Ohio, Gilbert chose Miami over Ohio State, Kentucky, Michigan and Penn State in the 2025 class. He played in 10 games last season, mostly on special teams, finishing with two catches for 37 yards across 68 snaps, and he was expected to compete for a bigger in-line blocking role in 2026 at 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds.
With Gilbert out, the opportunity shifts to Miami's other young tight ends. Gavin Mueller and Israel Briggs, both high-upside freshmen, now have a path to meaningful snaps behind returning starter Elija Lofton.
Lofton is back after a productive junior season that ended prematurely: he finished third among Miami receivers with three touchdowns and fourth in receiving yards with 218 on 23 catches, but he was carted off in the Fiesta Bowl win over Ole Miss and missed the national championship game against Indiana.
The room also includes Jack Nickel, the older brother of quarterback Luke Nickel, along with Jackson Carver, Hunter Carver, Owen Ruskavich and Cole McConathy, a converted defensive end.
First-year tight ends coach Mike Viti has been open about liking what he's inherited, even with the uncertainty.
Gilbert arrived at Miami as a consensus four-star prospect, cracking ESPN's top 300 overall players in the class at No. 266 and rating as a top-25 tight end nationally across every major service: No. 19 by 247Sports, No. 22 by Rivals and No. 23 by On3.
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