As Miami opens fall camp, the tight end room is one of the quieter concerns on a roster that still has bigger headlines elsewhere. But the position could matter more than it looks at first glance, because outside of junior Elija Lofton, the Hurricanes are trying to figure out who else can give them real production.
Lofton is the clear anchor. Last season, he paced Miami’s tight ends with 23 catches for 218 yards and three touchdowns, finding the end zone against North Carolina State, Virginia Tech and Pitt. Alex Bauman was the primary starter behind him and finished with 18 receptions for 166 yards and a touchdown against SMU, but he is no longer with the program.
That leaves sophomore Luka Gilbert as the projected No. 2.
He played in 10 games a year ago and spent most of his time on special teams. Even so, his spot is not locked down.
Freshmen Gavin Mueller and Israel Briggs could push him hard once camp gets rolling.
The broader issue is that Miami’s tight ends have not turned potential into numbers. According to Pro Football Focus, the Hurricanes do not have a returning ACC tight end ranked among the top 10 in the conference. Georgia Tech’s Chris Corbo leads that group at 85.3, followed by Louisville’s Brody Foley at 72.5, Duke’s Jeremiah Hasley at 72.3, Virginia’s Connor Cox at 68.7, North Carolina State’s Hunter Provience at 66.3, Cal’s Dorian Thomas at 65.9, Clemson’s Christian Bentancur at 64, Virginia Tech’s Luke Reynolds at 62.8, SMU’s Randy Pittman Jr. at 62.2 and Virginia Tech’s Ja’Ricious Hairston at 62.
Miami does have bodies and talent in the room. The question is whether that talent can finally show up on Saturdays. Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson may have room to work more tight end usage into the offense, but that has to be weighed against the Hurricanes’ depth at wide receiver and running back.
The new face in the room is Mike Viti, hired during the offseason as Miami’s tight ends coach. He arrives after 10 years as an assistant at Army, where he most recently served as associate head coach and offensive line coach. His presence could help the group tighten up its blocking.
Mario Cristobal has already pushed Miami back close to where “The U” wants to be after reaching the National Championship game. The next step is the harder one: winning the ACC and creating another path to a National Championship.
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Miamis Pass Rush Depth Suddenly Hinges On One Unanswered Camp Question
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Miami Just Lost A Key Forward Before The Season Even Starts
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Miami announced Allen will be out for the 2026-27 season after an ACL injury, leaving the staff to rework its forward depth heading into the year. The program does have options at the position, but losing a player with Allens experience and perspective is still a hit, especially with the injury believed to have happened during summer workouts. [Read more 🡒]