Dunlap 2026 4 star ranked TE Mack Sutter pledges to Alabama

[EdgyTim]

Great kid and family

Alabama plucks elite TE Mack Sutter out of Illinois

Four-star TE Mack Sutter committed to Alabama.

edgytim.rivals.com

 

[brucealmighy]

Almost impossible to turn down an offer from Bama.

 

[MMA_Det]

You have to imagine that the vast majority of Alabamas second string… was the captain on their high school football team

With big schools like Bama, concerns of playing time woukd be my biggest mental hurdle

Huge opportunity for this kid, I hope that he does well

 

[illinifan67]

Was really hoping the illini would get him, can’t blame him for going to bama

 

[brucealmighy]

You have to imagine that the vast majority of Alabamas second string… was the captain on their high school football team

With big schools like Bama, concerns of playing time woukd be my biggest mental hurdle

Huge opportunity for this kid, I hope that he does well

Risk/Reward. Almost all their starters get drafted. Confident kids don’t fear competition. Iron sharpens iron.

Also as an Illini fan, I can not say that I have been impressed with how the offense has utilized the tight ends the last 3 years. Maybe that changes with an upgrade in talent at the position. I think Vala is a classic late bloomer thought that will be a nice addition.

 

[EdgyTim]

100 percent agree on Vala I like him a lot ...and my take was that Vala was a fall back for losing Sutter and I'm guessing also JC Anderson....

 

[EdgyTim]

Was really hoping the illini would get him, can’t blame him for going to bama

Illinois is having a good recruiting class with or without the two top TE's but they still need to find a way to better appeal then keep national level Top 5- kids in state.....still seems to be an issue and I'm guessing now NIL is the biggest hurdle for the Illini

 

[brucealmighy]

Illinois is having a good recruiting class with or without the two top TE's but they still need to find a way to better appeal then keep national level Top 5- kids in state.....still seems to be an issue and I'm guessing now NIL is the biggest hurdle for the Illini

True but BB’s Wisconsin teams didn’t have lots of highly rated, national level recruits. His track record has been to recruit kids that fit his system and develop them into NFL prospects. Sure the top level high school kids would help but with the transfer portal it is probably less important than ever. Plus a high 3/4 star recruit from Florida, Ohio, Texas might be a top 5 player in Illinois. At the end of the day, he has the program in the best position in decades and that can only help in the future with local talent.

 

[brucealmighy]

100 percent agree on Vala I like him a lot ...and my take was that Vala was a fall back for losing Sutter and I'm guessing also JC Anderson....

Signs seems to point to JC to the SEC too. Hopefully it works out for him and Sutter. The last couple TE’s to head south, Billingsley and Luke Ford, did not pan out like most thought they would.

 

[all4theillini]

Illinois is having a good recruiting class with or without the two top TE's but they still need to find a way to better appeal then keep national level Top 5- kids in state.....still seems to be an issue and I'm guessing now NIL is the biggest hurdle for the Illini

Per BB, UI’s football NIL last year was fifth in the B1G. Quite a bit behind the top four but fifth nonetheless.

 

[illinifan67]

Illinois is having a good recruiting class with or without the two top TE's but they still need to find a way to better appeal then keep national level Top 5- kids in state.....still seems to be an issue and I'm guessing now NIL is the biggest hurdle for the Illini

I agree, program is in a great spot but if they want to take that next step its about keeping the instate top guys from leaving for programs like bama, osu, michigan etc