Miami offers junior college tight end Connor Gilbreath for 2024 class

Miami is turning some attention to junior college recruits for the Hurricanes’ 2024 recruiting class, including Butte College tight end Connor Gilbreath.

Miami tight ends coach Cody Woodiel told Gilbreath the Hurricanes would recruit him at either tight end or offensive line. The 6-foot-6, 270-pound Californian said last season was his first season truly playing tight end full time, although he played some H-back his final two years of high school.

But after landing the offer from offensive line coach Alex Mirabal April 26, Gilbreath isn’t being picky about which position he would play at the Division I level.

“It was totally unexpected,” Gilbreath said. “I was in disbelief at first, because I wasn’t really in contact with many schools until then. I had an offer last November from Portland State, but other than that, nothing really much.”

Woodiel has since handled Gilbreath’s recruitment and told Gilbreath Miami has been impressed with his blocking ability and physicality. Gilbreath is planning to visit Coral Gables the final weekend this month and said he wants to check out the Canes before he goes any further in his recruitment.

Gilbreath recently received an offer from Washington as well.

Gilbreath said he has some summer classes he needs to take at Butte before he’s able to transfer to a program like Miami, meaning he could likely sign with the Hurricanes in December. He said he’ll most value a program’s quality of coaches and is still working to determine when he could get to Coral Gables this summer.

CaneSport’s Take

There’s rarely a downside to turning to junior college prospects to fill roster spots, and it’s clear Miami is intent on creating competition in its offensive line and tight end rooms. While it’s hard to tell where Gilbreath would best fit at the college level, he was used as a blocker in junior college. He has the size and strength of an offensive lineman with the mobility at the tight end, a position at which the Hurricanes already have plenty of depth. Gilbreath needs a fair amount of refinement but has substantial upside if he can fine-tune some of his more raw physical attributes, which at this point largely revolve around manhandling smaller defenders at the point of attack.

If Miami does choose to take Gilbreath and use him at tight end, he could perhaps be compared to a younger version of current Hurricanes tight end Cam McCormick, an eighth-year senior who has made a career as a block-first tight end.

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