When Gavin Mueller was a high school freshman at St. Francis, he was 6-5 and weighed 190 pounds.
Now at South Elgin, he has grown an inch, put on 65 pounds and is heading to Colorado after becoming coach Deion Sanders’ second commit in the 2026 cycle.
All this didn’t just happen by accident.
“People think I was lucky with my genetics,” Mueller told the Sun-Times. “I don’t think I’ve ever gone a day without doing two or three workouts.”
In those days before he could drive, he’d wake up at 5 a.m., ride his bike to the gym and grab a McDonald’s breakfast in his quest to fill out and gain weight.
Now that he’s bigger, fast food is not on the menu. “I haven’t had a french fry in months,” he said.
What he has had is an uncommon amount of attention from college football coaches for someone who didn’t even play the sport as a freshman or sophomore. Mueller focused on basketball and track and field his first two years at St. Francis, winning a Class 2A state medal in the shot put in 2024.
Then he came back to football, catching recruiters’ eyes on the 7-on-7 circuit. He also came to the notice of Clint Cosgrove, a national recruiting analyst and co-founder of ProPath, an athlete-management company which has added Mueller as a client.
“He looks like he was built in a lab,” Cosgrove said, noting Mueller’s 83-inch wingspan.
“Most kids will get their offers off film,” Cosgrove added, but without any tape from his first two years of high school, “he just showed up [at camps] and runs a 4.5 40 at 6-6, 250 pounds.”
Mueller had more than 20 offers, including LSU, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Florida and Texas A&M.
What made Colorado stand out? Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, for one thing. He not only was a former NFL coach with the Browns, Giants and Eagles, but also a longtime offensive coordinator in the league who has prioritized tight ends in his schemes.
“[There’s] a lot of opportunity in the tight ends room,” Mueller said. “I think he wants to be in 11 or 12 [one or two tight ends] personnel a lot.”
Another draw was playing for Sanders, one of the biggest personalities in sports.
“He’s a big factor,” Mueller said. “I had two separate hourlong meetings with him. You get a little nervous [going in], but one of the easiest dudes I’ve ever talked to.”
Another plus for Colorado, according to Mueller: “The fan base is unreal. The minute you get an offer, you’ve got 200 fans DM’ing you, [saying], ‘Come on out here.’ ”
Mueller is itching to get back to competition after skipping his junior basketball and track seasons while recovering from labrum surgery after last football season. He said he’s 100% healthy now and ready to line up for South Elgin.
“It’s been really good,” he said of the transition to a new school and team. “The guys there are super welcoming. . . . I never had the opportunity [before] to play with the people I grew up around.”
