Tight end is one of the positions the Buffs have wanted to bolster under Deion Sanders, and Colorado took a big step forward in that area Wednesday. Four-star tight end Gavin Mueller is headed to Boulder after committing to CU on Wednesday afternoon in front of friends and family at South Elgin High School.
The 6-foot-6, 250-pound prospect, who has a 6-foot-11 wingspan, narrowed his options down to four schools this spring with the Buffs being joined by Wisconsin, LSU and Notre Dame on that list.
He visited three of the programs on that list, including an official visit to Boulder earlier this month, before coming to his decision and announcing the choice at his school on Wednesday.
The decision by Mueller represents a key recruiting victory for Colorado tight ends coach Brett Bartolone, who became a big part of the process since the Buffs offered in late February.
An April unofficial visit to Colorado put the Buffs in strong position, and Mueller quickly scheduled an official visit with the program a month later. The attentions showed to him by Sanders, Bartolone and the CU staff propelled the program in his recruitment as Wisconsin and LSU emerged as two top contenders.
Mueller set his commitment date shortly after that April visit to CU putting the plans in place for his eventual decision Wednesday.
"My visit to Colorado was really cool," he told EdgyTim.com. "Getting to meet Coach Deion (Sanders) was amazing, and he's always been one of my Dad's childhood heroes so that was fun for my dad. Coach Deion and I talked for about an hour on the visit. We talked about everything from my relationship with God to football and everything else.
"Also it seems like the media is all over the football program at Colorado. Coach Deion does a ton of media every day. Colorado also have some really high profile coaches and staff around the football program at Colorado. I met Champ Bailey and so many other big time names around the football program on the visit. Everything at Colorado was just really nice."
Mueller took a certain interest in the attention that comes with playing at CU under Sanders throughout the process, and the professional elements of the program have appealed to him about the Buffs.
“Colorado defines the “New Age” of college sports," he told Rivals analyst Greg Smith in recent weeks. "I believe they are one of the most exciting teams in college football.”
Mueller is now the second commitment in the 2026 class following the recent addition of junior college defensive end Domata Peko Jr. CU signed in-state tight end Zayne DeSouza in the 2025 cycle but is the highest-rated prospect at the position to commit to the team since 2020.
Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Purdue and NC State were some of the schools previously in the mix this offseason.
