Growing up in Kansas City, Gavin Hoffman had a few reasons to head to Columbia for sporting events from time to time, but the biggest was his cousins, Sophie and Lindsey Cunningham, and their basketball games.
“Lindsey and Sophie, kind of during this whole process, I was talking to them a lot, you know, just getting their feedback and stuff,” Hoffman said on The Unwritten Rule podcast. “They weren’t pushing me or anything, obviously they want me to be at Mizzou. … Seeing (Sophie) get inducted into the Hall of Fame is really cool. I mean that was (Monday) but that’s definitely surreal because, you know, I grew up going to their home games with my mom. We would drive from Kansas City to go watch them play South Carolina, it was just really cool just to see her get that recognition.”
And now, Hoffman is the next in the family to join the Tigers after transferring in from Iowa. The tight end also has family connections to Mizzou from his mom, Stacy (Primus) Hoffman, who played basketball for the Tigers and his aunt Paula (Primus) Cunningham, who ran track. He’s even got a distant connection to current Tiger tight end Brett Norfleet.
“We’re not related, but somehow we have the same great aunt through marriage or something,” Hoffman said.
He said the decision to transfer wasn’t forced by his family, but they were all happy when he let them know.
“It was definitely a cool feeling,” Hoffman said. “We have a big group chat with, like, the whole family and it kind of gets annoying, so I gotta do not disturb, but I mean, I kind of just texted them and just said ‘MIZ’ with a yellow heart … It definitely felt really, really good, definitely, seeing all their support.”
Now, after getting a close-up look at the Tigers during the Music City Bowl between Missouri and Iowa, Hoffman will join a talented tight end room led by Brett Norfleet and Jordon Harris with multiple other options around them.
Hoffman said though he spent most of his time at Iowa blocking, because as he said, you can’t get on the field at Iowa if you can’t block, he’s excited to showcase the athleticism and physical ability that made him one of the most sought-out tight end prospects in his high school class.
“I think I can play in the split out, I think with my speed, my ability and athleticism, I think I’m able to you know, make some plays," Hoffman said. "… I got used to it and I like putting my hand in the dirt, you know, blocking down on a five-tech. But I mean, I’d just say my athleticism, what I can do with just my size and my frame, I think, is gonna be what I’m gonna try and show off the most.”
Hoffman said that focus as a receiver and the draw to the Tigers was helped by the departure of Luther Burden and Theo Wease, as the Tigers will look to replace their two primary pass-catching targets. He said he’s hopeful to see some two tight end sets through the season that allow him to get on the field as a target for whichever quarterback claims the starting spot this fall.
“Most of these (defensive backs) are like, 6-1, 6-2 maybe, there’s some big DBs but they’re only like 200 pounds,” Hoffman, who stands at 6-5 and 237 pounds, said. “If you use your body and get a good throw from the quarterback, it’s pretty hard to guard, especially in the red zone and stuff like that. So I just think your size and weight, just kind of playing bully ball in a sense (gives an advantage).”
But along with joining a Missouri team Hoffman said he sees as a solid program, there is an extra opportunity he said he is excited about this season.
"I’m excited to just play KU this year’s second game,” Hoffman said. “I mean, my brother goes to KU, he’s a junior there. I’m really excited for that, that rivalry game because, I don’t know, it’s exciting.”
Hoffman was a target for the Tigers coming out of high school, in fact, Missouri was the first Power-4 school to offer him a scholarship, but sometimes it takes a couple of years for the right decision to become clear.
“I was 17 years old making a decision, kind of just, immature and stuff,” Hoffman said. "And you know, not saying it was a bad move for me at all, tight end U is a great thing up here at Iowa and that’s what I wanted to be a part of. … But I probably just have to go back to the family aspect, I like playing up here at Iowa, but like five or six hours away from my family. So I didn’t really have, like, a support system around me.”
Now Hoffman will be closer to home, have that support system from his loved ones and get to be the next in a long line of Tigers in the family.
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