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Up until the end of his junior season, 2021 Satellite Beach (FL) 3-star TE Gunnar Greenwald had been overlooked by the vast majority of Division-I college programs. After he landed his first Power 5 offer from NC State in December, though, the attention started flooding in – in the next three months alone, Greenwald collected 22 offers, including from the Miami Hurricanes back in late January.
“Once my recruitment started picking up, I got a call from Miami and they offered me,” Greenwald said. “I was really excited about it – Miami being ‘Tight End U’ is huge for me being a tight end and everything. I want to go to a school where I know I’ll be used to the best of my abilities at tight end, and I know a school like Miami is using them a lot. I’m really excited about it.”
Landing an offer was not Greenwald’s first interaction with the Miami staff, though – he also attended a camp on campus in Coral Gables last summer.
“It was really awesome. I got to hangout with coach (Stephen) Field and meet some of the tight ends there, it was a really good day,” Greenwald said. “The whole vibe around Miami is really just awesome, and it has really nice weather. You can’t go wrong living in South Florida for sure. And then the history behind Miami, not only ‘Tight End U’ but the other players they’re bringing out, I love the whole swag that they’ve got going on. So being a part of that would be really awesome.”
While Greenwald’s trip was a short one, he did get to experience some of the facilities the UM program has to offer. A return visit to further his relationship with the coaching staff and explore more of the campus was scheduled for next month, but concerns over the COVID-19 virus shut down the event Miami was planning.
“On my first trip, I didn’t get to see too much of the actual campus, but I got to walk around and see some of the things they had going on,” Greenwald said. “The practice field was really nice, the facilities like the indoor training center was really cool, so I can’t wait to get back down there and check everything out again.
“Our plan originally was to go back down there April 9th for an invite-only thing, but then obviously it got shut down. So hopefully over summer or when everything clears up we’ll definitely be at Miami.”
In the meantime, Greenwald has been building a connection with coach Field over the phone and he likes the attitude that the UM tight ends coach brings to the game.
“We’re kind of just starting our relationship now, we’ll text back and forth,” Greenwald said of Field. “When I met him at the camp, he seemed like a good coach, a hardworking guy. That’s what I definitely look for in a coach, someone that’s going to make me better and make me the best tight end I can be.”
As for where Greenwald is at in the process, he is aiming for a late summer decision so that the recruiting process doesn’t interfere with his senior year on the field at Satellite Beach.
“I’m going to start narrowing it down after spring and after I take more visits – I’ll narrow it down to six or seven schools and go from there,” Greenwald said. “I’ll probably shoot for around August or September for a decision.”
Aside from the Canes, Greenwald cites NC State, UCF, Louisville, Purdue, UCLA, Indiana, and USF as the schools that he hears from the most that have also offered him. He has starting getting a lot of contact from FSU as well, and although he has yet to receive a bid from the Seminoles, Greenwald was able to make it to Tallahassee for FSU’s Junior Day event two weeks back.
“It was awesome, we went and got a whole campus tour,” Greenwald said of FSU. “We got to watch the practice, try on the jerseys, see the facilities, and kind of get a feel for everything. I was able to get pulled into coach (Mike) Norvell’s office and talked to him one-on-one. He seemed really excited about me so that was awesome. They’ve been recruiting me pretty hard lately, so I’m just waiting for that offer to come.”
It was a breakout season on the field for Greenwald in 2019, as he recorded 43 catches for 379 yards and 3 TD’s for the Scorpions and his junior film started catching the eye of coaches around the country.
“I just want to go and ball out as a senior, show the reason I have all these offers and help my team win games,” Greenwald said. “We’re definitely a family culture here at Satellite, so we just want to come out and win as many games as we can and do it in style. We’re really excited about this season, just a lot of hardworking dudes, so I feel like we’re going to be great this season.”
Like many high school tight ends, Greenwald started out as a wide receiver and is aiming to progress into a more complete prospect at the position as he continues to grow into his now 6’5”, 220 pound frame.
“I’m more of a versatile type of tight end,” Greenwald said. “Put me in the backfield and have me run some routes, flex me out, and I’ll make every catch when the ball’s thrown to me. I try to get every yard that I can - I’ll try and juke sometimes, but I mostly try and run defenders over.
“I’m a good downhill blocker, but the one thing I need to work on is blocking. My sophomore season, I was actually just a skinny, 180 pound wideout, so I’ve put on all this weight and I’m still learning how to block. I’ve been getting better at it, but I still need to get better at everything pretty much.”
Ultimately, the college program that will win Greenwald over will have a strong sense of unity on and off the field, something he's found at Satellite Beach after moving from Las Vegas two years back.
“It comes down to the family culture and the team, I want to be on a team where everyone has a really tight bond,” Greenwald said. “I’m really close with my teammates and coaches [at Satellite Beach], so I definitely want to go to a school that I’m happy with, and also my friends and family are happy with and can support me going there.”
“Once my recruitment started picking up, I got a call from Miami and they offered me,” Greenwald said. “I was really excited about it – Miami being ‘Tight End U’ is huge for me being a tight end and everything. I want to go to a school where I know I’ll be used to the best of my abilities at tight end, and I know a school like Miami is using them a lot. I’m really excited about it.”
Landing an offer was not Greenwald’s first interaction with the Miami staff, though – he also attended a camp on campus in Coral Gables last summer.
“It was really awesome. I got to hangout with coach (Stephen) Field and meet some of the tight ends there, it was a really good day,” Greenwald said. “The whole vibe around Miami is really just awesome, and it has really nice weather. You can’t go wrong living in South Florida for sure. And then the history behind Miami, not only ‘Tight End U’ but the other players they’re bringing out, I love the whole swag that they’ve got going on. So being a part of that would be really awesome.”
While Greenwald’s trip was a short one, he did get to experience some of the facilities the UM program has to offer. A return visit to further his relationship with the coaching staff and explore more of the campus was scheduled for next month, but concerns over the COVID-19 virus shut down the event Miami was planning.
“On my first trip, I didn’t get to see too much of the actual campus, but I got to walk around and see some of the things they had going on,” Greenwald said. “The practice field was really nice, the facilities like the indoor training center was really cool, so I can’t wait to get back down there and check everything out again.
“Our plan originally was to go back down there April 9th for an invite-only thing, but then obviously it got shut down. So hopefully over summer or when everything clears up we’ll definitely be at Miami.”
In the meantime, Greenwald has been building a connection with coach Field over the phone and he likes the attitude that the UM tight ends coach brings to the game.
“We’re kind of just starting our relationship now, we’ll text back and forth,” Greenwald said of Field. “When I met him at the camp, he seemed like a good coach, a hardworking guy. That’s what I definitely look for in a coach, someone that’s going to make me better and make me the best tight end I can be.”
As for where Greenwald is at in the process, he is aiming for a late summer decision so that the recruiting process doesn’t interfere with his senior year on the field at Satellite Beach.
“I’m going to start narrowing it down after spring and after I take more visits – I’ll narrow it down to six or seven schools and go from there,” Greenwald said. “I’ll probably shoot for around August or September for a decision.”
Aside from the Canes, Greenwald cites NC State, UCF, Louisville, Purdue, UCLA, Indiana, and USF as the schools that he hears from the most that have also offered him. He has starting getting a lot of contact from FSU as well, and although he has yet to receive a bid from the Seminoles, Greenwald was able to make it to Tallahassee for FSU’s Junior Day event two weeks back.
“It was awesome, we went and got a whole campus tour,” Greenwald said of FSU. “We got to watch the practice, try on the jerseys, see the facilities, and kind of get a feel for everything. I was able to get pulled into coach (Mike) Norvell’s office and talked to him one-on-one. He seemed really excited about me so that was awesome. They’ve been recruiting me pretty hard lately, so I’m just waiting for that offer to come.”
It was a breakout season on the field for Greenwald in 2019, as he recorded 43 catches for 379 yards and 3 TD’s for the Scorpions and his junior film started catching the eye of coaches around the country.
“I just want to go and ball out as a senior, show the reason I have all these offers and help my team win games,” Greenwald said. “We’re definitely a family culture here at Satellite, so we just want to come out and win as many games as we can and do it in style. We’re really excited about this season, just a lot of hardworking dudes, so I feel like we’re going to be great this season.”
Like many high school tight ends, Greenwald started out as a wide receiver and is aiming to progress into a more complete prospect at the position as he continues to grow into his now 6’5”, 220 pound frame.
“I’m more of a versatile type of tight end,” Greenwald said. “Put me in the backfield and have me run some routes, flex me out, and I’ll make every catch when the ball’s thrown to me. I try to get every yard that I can - I’ll try and juke sometimes, but I mostly try and run defenders over.
“I’m a good downhill blocker, but the one thing I need to work on is blocking. My sophomore season, I was actually just a skinny, 180 pound wideout, so I’ve put on all this weight and I’m still learning how to block. I’ve been getting better at it, but I still need to get better at everything pretty much.”
Ultimately, the college program that will win Greenwald over will have a strong sense of unity on and off the field, something he's found at Satellite Beach after moving from Las Vegas two years back.
“It comes down to the family culture and the team, I want to be on a team where everyone has a really tight bond,” Greenwald said. “I’m really close with my teammates and coaches [at Satellite Beach], so I definitely want to go to a school that I’m happy with, and also my friends and family are happy with and can support me going there.”
