While head coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado football team is still putting the final touches on the roster for the 2025 season, recruiting for the 2026 class is heating up.

On Wednesday, the Buffs picked up their second verbal commitment of the 2026 class, and it was a big one. Tight end Gavin Mueller of South Elgin (Ill.) High School committed to the Buffs.

Rated a 3-star by the 247Sports composite rankings, Mueller has been a top target for CU’s staff.

“I’ll be spending the next three to four years with Coach Prime at the University of Colorado,” he said during a commitment ceremony at his school, posted on YouTube.

“I think Colorado is the next kind of generation of football. I think there’s a lot of opportunity. Most of all, it seems like a brotherhood there. All the guys are very interested in me and my journey, and it seems like they genuinely want me to be there. The coaches made me a priority, and the fans have reached out and shown non-stop support.”

A basketball player who didn’t play high school football until last fall, Mueller quickly made an impression on scouts. He is rated the No. 36 tight end in the class by 247Sports and chose CU over LSU, Notre Dame and Wisconsin.

Mueller, who took an official visit to CU earlier this month, has 23 offers overall, including from Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina State, Mississippi, Texas A&M. He also took official visits to Wisconsin and LSU. In addition to basketball, Mueller throws the shot put and discus for the track and field team at South Elgin.

Mueller is the second commit of the class for CU, joining Domata Peko, Jr., the son of new Buffs’ defensive line coach Domata Peko.

The younger Peko is at Ventura (Calif.) College and is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 edge player from the JUCO ranks for the 2026 class, and the No. 3 player overall.

A 2023 graduate of Calabasas (Calif.) High School, Peko was a three-star prep recruit who signed with Hawaii. He would end up at College of the Canyons, however. Last year, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Peko played in seven games, recording 10 tackles and two sacks.

CU is heavily recruiting several others for the 2026 class, bringing in several top recruits for visits this spring and summer.

Among the top targets are four-star running back KJ Edwards from Carthage (Texas) High School; four-star receiver Jase Mathews from Green County (Miss.) High School; and four-star quarterback Oscar Rios from Downey (Calif.) High School.Edwards, Mathews, Mueller and Windsor High School offensive lineman Deacon Schmitt, a three-star recruit rated as the No. 2 player in the state of Colorado, were among several official visitors the weekend of May 2.

Five-star receiver Cederian Morgan of Benjamin Russell (Ala.) High School; four-star safety Jordan Deck from Lone Star (Texas) High School; and three-star linebacker Duyon Forkpa Jr. of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., were among the visitors last weekend.