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

 

[AlabamaTimberwolf]

The BAMA TE room will be full of good talent!

 

[4Afan]

Somewhat off topic, but still belongs here based on the title I suppose. What determines how many stars a recruit has and how can he gain or lose a star? Is there an algorithm? Is it based on amount of offers? Is it the "eye test"? Or a combination of all of this?

 

[4Afan]

Almost impossible to turn down an offer from Bama.

Is it though? These days it's all about the money. Granted Bama has deep pockets, but Saban is no longer walking the sideline. Bama went 9-4 last year (4th loss was in a meaningless bowl game). We'll see how they bounce back this year, but this may no longer be the Bama of the last 20 years.

 

[brucealmighy]

Is it though? These days it's all about the money. Granted Bama has deep pockets, but Saban is no longer walking the sideline. Bama went 9-4 last year (4th loss was in a meaningless bowl game). We'll see how they bounce back this year, but this may no longer be the Bama of the last 20 years.

True but most of these kids grew up watching that domination by the Tide. Not many kids from Illinois get that offer so have to be a bit surreal.

I actually think the new era will be more of a challenge for Bama. They do not have nearly as many wealthy alums as other schools. Prior to NIL, there were always rumors of Bama being aggressive in the bags of cash market.

 

[4Afan]

True but most of these kids grew up watching that domination by the Tide. Not many kids from Illinois get that offer so have to be a bit surreal.

I actually think the new era will be more of a challenge for Bama. They do not have nearly as many wealthy alums as other schools. Prior to NIL, there were always rumors of Bama being aggressive in the bags of cash market.

Saban has said multiple times that's why he chose now to retire, it's a completely different game.