Senior tight end for Penn State. 2025: 26 catches, 302 receiving yards, 1 TD.
6′6″ · 247 lb · Cedar Rapids, IA · Prairie
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
receiving yards · 2025
26 catches · 1 TD · 11.6 per catch
Best game: 4 rec, 85 yds, 1 TD, vs South Dakota
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 tight end for Penn State. 2025: 26 catches, 302 receiving yards, 1 TD.
How he plays
Shows up in the passing game from any alignment.
EPA / target: 81st percentile.
The full scouting readGabe Burkle
Shows up in the passing game from any alignment. He got to Penn State by way of Iowa State. One game to point at: 85 rec yds, 4 receptions against South Dakota — Week 1, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
4 programs, one constant: he played.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2023–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: James Franklin → Terry Smith. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Penn State
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Matt Campbell — 26-13 over that span.
Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
Elite: epa / target (81st percentile). Concern: explosive rate (9th percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Season trend
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Situational · Share of own targets (PBP, 2025)
Third-down role
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 9 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 3.2 | 39.0 | 11.5 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 2.5 | 26.8 | 10.3 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 2.8 | 37.0 | 12.0 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+3g | 3.0 | 26.7 | 8.9 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Campbell
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2025
Earning real snaps in the rotation without a starting job.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
Three-star recruit. Now #75 at the position.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Iowa State | 26 | 302 | 11.6 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Iowa State | 26 | 296 | 11.4 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Iowa State | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 54 | 607 | 11.2 | 2 | -- |
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 9 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 24-21@ Kansas State | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 0 | 17 | Season-high 85 yds |
| Wk 1 | W 55-7vs South Dakota | 4 | 85 | 21.3 | 1 | 44 | Season-high 85 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 16-13vs Iowa | 3 | 33 | 11.0 | 0 | 17 | |
| Wk 5 | W 39-14vs Arizona | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 0 | 11 | |
| Wk 6 | L 30-38@ Cincinnati | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wk 7 | L 17-24@ Colorado | 3 | 42 | 14.0 | 0 | 15 | |
| Wk 9 | L 27-41vs BYU | 5 | 44 | 8.8 | 0 | 15 | |
| Wk 10 | L 19-24vs Arizona State | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 0 | 10 | |
| Wk 11 | W 20-17@ TCU | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 0 | 14 | |
| Total | 26 | 302 | 11.0 | 1 | 44 |
Play style
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Isaac Rex’s 2023 season.
Matches Isaac on
Differs from Isaac on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Austin Stogner's junior season at South Carolina (2022).
Matches Austin on
Differs from Austin on
Player DNA
1 more on the roster · Penn State team page