Last spring, Gavin Mueller got a good look at how major college football recruiting works.
Mueller, who transferred to South Elgin from Wheaton St. Francis at the semester break this winter, didn’t play football his first two years of high school, concentrating on basketball and track.
Convinced to come out for football, the 6-foot-6, 245-pound tight end went to a camp at Glenbard East. In front of several college coaches, he ran a route and promptly botched the catch.
But he must have done something right.
“I dropped it and I had two scholarship offers,” Mueller said. “I was super excited. I called my dad (Tyler) the second I got on the bus.”
It’s what skills and measurables will do. Mueller has picked up 15 Division I offers and turned into a three-star recruit on Rivals.com despite having his only season cut short by a shoulder injury.
That hasn’t stopped Cincinnati, Duke, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, NC State, Ole Miss, Purdue, Texas A&M, Wisconsin and West Virginia from extending offers to Mueller.
“Last spring, things really picked up,” he said. “I worked out for Minnesota and got my first Power Five offer. It’s kind of crazy to think about. I could play anywhere in the country.
“Let’s see where this can take me.”
Despite being enrolled at South Elgin for less than a month, the school has already become a destination for college coaches to visit.
South Elgin coach Pat Pistorio said Mueller immediately immersed himself in the offseason weight training and has already demonstrated leadership abilities, despite never having played with any of his new teammates.
“He’s an unbelievable athlete, great kid, really positive energy,” Pistorio said. “He was able to adjust quickly and is really fitting in well with our team and our school. He’s starving to be great.
“He’s the type of student that is a leader in the classroom, too. He understands how important this time is for him and he’s really focused and he’s excited about the opportunities ahead of him.”
Part of that was instilled by his father. Tyler Mueller played football at Beloit.
“I knew in his heart he wanted me to be a football player,” Gavin said. “He would never force that on me.”
Mueller fell in love with basketball in high school, starting as a freshman at Wheaton St. Francis.
The attention he’s received on the recruiting trail, however, has shown Mueller that he made the right choice. Now, he’ll finish his high school career at a new school in South Elgin.
“I knew a few of the guys,” said Mueller, who went to District U-46 schools growing up. “I didn’t really talk to them about anything with football. It wasn’t really anything to do with football.
“It was just a better fit for me.”
Sophomore quarterback Carter McDonald, who filled in this season for an injured Jack Ginnan, didn’t know Mueller before he arrived. He’s well aware of him now, however.
“He has good hands — he’s fast,” McDonald said. “He can do a lot of things. I think it will make us a lot better because you have a guy out there who will have to be doubled.”
Pistorio also is glad to have Mueller on board.
“He’s somebody that’s really setting the tone and helping the entire program come along,” Pistorio said. “Gavin is the type of kid that will always promote the guys around him first and foremost.
“He wants to see them be successful as well. It’s a really special time for everybody.”
Mueller is handling all the attention as best he can while also acclimating himself to South Elgin.
“I had to grow up a little faster,” Mueller said. “The hype was real. I would like to make my decision in June after my official visits. My weekends will be full. It will be fun, but it will be crazy.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
