Gavin Mueller was one of the top TE targets identified by Nate Letton and Luke Fickell. He is the nephew of former Wisconsin Badger running back Nick Mueller. Uncle Nick played in the late 90s and got the whole family rooting for the Badgers. Gavin has said multiple times that he grew up rooting for the Badgers; however, that wasn't a big enough influence for him to ultimately pick to play for Luke Fickell and Wisconsin.
On a 24/7 Sports live YouTube commitment, Mueller picked up the Colorado hat and said, "Sko Buffs!" He then donned some sunglasses with a big smile on his face. Wisconsin fans watching online or hearing about it on social media were less excited, especially because, as of a few days ago, 24/7 Sports had said that Wisconsin was the team to beat.
BREAKING: Class of 2026 TE Gavin Mueller has Committed to Colorado, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 14, 2025
The 6’6 250 TE from South Elgin, IL chose the Buffaloes over LSU, Notre Dame, & Wisconsin
“Thank you God. Sko Buffs”https://t.co/gOQs2IpNPq pic.twitter.com/BkFhXsPk1d
Gavin Mueller commits to the Colorado Buffalos over Wisconsin, Notre Dame, and LSU
Under new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, tight ends will be an important part of Wisconsin's offense. They are key in the blocking scheme and will have a chance to catch a lot of passes. While that offense hasn't yet been seen at UW, the hope was that Mueller would be the first big recruiting addition that fits Grimes' scheme.
It won't come to pass, even with an inside lane from Uncle Nick Mueller. Colorado was able to grab him away from Wisconsin, Notre Dame, and LSU. It really ended up being a battle of some premier recruiting programs.
The Badgers have a few more TE targets in the 2026 class that they will now focus on, players like, Dominick Barry and Jack Sievers. It will be interesting to see if Mueller causes a few dominoes for these other TE recruits that Wisconsin has prioritized. Luke Fickell and Nate Letton will shift their attention quickly now.