Missouri City Ridge Point product Mustapha Muhammad is the top-ranked tight end prospect in Texas and for good reason.
Properly utilized in a system that emphasizes getting the ball into the tight end’s hands, such as what Jim Harbaugh instills at Michigan and Tom Herman orchestrated at Houston and hopes to infuse into the offense at Texas, Muhammad looks the part of a future all-conference talent.
On film, Muhammad is nothing short of elite at this stage in his progression. He’s a premier pass-catcher that makes the difficult catches look rudimentary. Considered more of a receiver than a blocker at this point, Muhammad is an exceptional route runner, but he’s at his best when going vertical where he’s able to utilize his 6’4 frame and long arms to create mismatches. The latter is most clearly evident in the red zone and in third down situations, considering he’s more athletic than most linebackers and bigger than virtually all defensive backs. Pair that with his impressive catch radius, big hands and great body control and he’s likely to become a quarterback’s dream in the red zone in college.
Furthermore, beyond his prototypical size, Muhammad is surprisingly elusive in space and capable and making a defender miss before he commonly fights for every extra yard after contact. There is room for improvement, though, as he can afford to sharpen his breaks a bit and improve his top-end speed.
That said, Muhammad isn’t exactly a one-dimensional prospect, regardless of how tantalizing he is in the passing game.
Muhammad can play flexed out as a wide receiver or put his hand on the ground and become a difference-maker in the blocking game. At 6’4, 235 pounds with a solid frame, Muhammad is a capable and willing blocker, although he’ll need to improve hand placement a bit, which will come with time and coaching.
The foundation is in place and once he bulks up further after adding a college weight training regimen to his schedule, he’ll essentially become a tight end prospect that can do it all at a high level.
At this point, only 10 programs among the 34 that have extended offers remain in contention for his signature – Texas, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas A&M, LSU, UCLA and USC. Harbaugh and the Wolverines are considered the heavy frontrunner for his services, currently holding all 23 of his Crystal Ball projections.
A four-star prospect, Muhammad is ranked as the nation’s No. 100 player, No. 5 tight end and the No. 13 player in Texas, per 247Sports Composite.
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