Illinois
It’s Alabama: Dunlap recruit Mack Sutter chooses iconic college football destination
Alabama football recruiting: Watch Mack Sutter in Dunlap commit to Tide
Mack Sutter, a four-star tight end from Dunlap, Illinois, on Thursday, June 26, 2025, committed to play for Alabama football.
PEORIA — Roll Tide.
Dunlap four-star tight end Mack Sutter announced his commitment to Alabama on Thursday night before family and friends at Weaver’s Fresh Food and Drink.
Sutter thanks his teammates, coaches, friends and family before choosing the Southeastern Conference power over other finalists Illinois, Ole Miss and Ohio State. He then pulled on a maroon long-sleeved shirt before grabbing a few others and tossing them to the crowd.
“Thank you guys for pushing me every day. I’m so lucky to have a great group of guys to compete with every day,” Sutter said. “… Most of all, my parents, I am just so grateful for them. They’ve guided me and shaped me into the man I am today.”
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound senior-to-be made Alabama his final official visit on June 20. He’ll join the Tide’s 11-member recruiting Class of 2026 that features five-star cornerback Jorden Edmonds and four-star athlete Zyan Gibson.
Sutter becomes the first tight end, and the third highest-ranked Alabama commit in the class of 2026, ranking as the No. 80 prospect nationally, seventh-ranked tight end and the No. 1 prospect in Illinois by 247Sports Composite.
During the last 18 months, Sutter picked up 45 scholarship offers highlighted by a combined 30 offers from the Big Ten SEC. He is one of the most sought-after football recruits in Peoria-area history.
“Mack,” Dunlap football coach Brett Cazalet said, “the reason he had so many offers and so many opportunities is not only because of his physical traits, but also, when a coach sits down and talks to him for just a couple minutes and sees how he wants to be as a player, what kind of young man he is.
“Yeah, it’s a no brainer. You want a guy like that in your program.”
For Sutter, this most recent trip to Tuscaloosa came after he attended a pair of Alabama games during the 2024 season. He was at Alabama’s 41-34 win over Georgia in September, then attended the annual Iron Bowl against Auburn in November where Bama won 28-14.
“It was unreal,” Sutter told the Journal Star in December after attending the Egg Bowl and Iron Bowl on back-to-back days. “They were both pretty electric games, so it was sweet seeing that. … You could tell that it was big-time football down there.”
Sutter joins an Alabama tight end room that should be completely revamped heading into 2026, according to Colin Gay of the Tuscaloosa News. It could be headlined by returnees Marshall Pritchett and Kaleb Edwards, along with West Virginia transfer Jack Sammarco.
“At Alabama, tight end is a ‘developmental’ position, one where freshmen rarely see the field,” Gay wrote, adding that Sutter will “need to develop blocking SEC-level tackles before he sees significant playing time.”
Sutter and Dunlap will open the 2025 campaign on the road against Galesburg at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29.
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
Police are investigating after a motorcyclist was killed in a crash in suburban Oswego on Saturday afternoon.
Officers responded to the 4000 block of Route 34 near Wolf Road for the crash around 1:42 p.m. The motorcyclist was unconscious and was receiving CPR when officers arrived.
They took over medical care until paramedics arrived and took the victim, identified as a 20-year-old man, to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
The victim’s identity is being withheld pending an autopsy scheduled for Monday, police said.
Initial reports say the victim was traveling eastbound on Route 34 when he hit an enclosed trailer being towed by a van. According to the police, the van was also traveling eastbound and was attempting to make a right turn into a driveway when the crash occurred.
The driver and passenger in the van were not hurt, police said.
Route 34 was closed between Wolf Road and Boulder Hill Pass for four hours for crash reconstruction.
The crash remains under investigation pending completion of the traffic crash reconstruction report.
Illinois
Man arrested after barricading himself inside vape shop in Des Plaines, Illinois, police say
A man was arrested after police say he barricaded himself inside a business in Des Plaines on Saturday morning.
The incident happened just before 9 a.m. in the 1500 block of Rand Road.
Des Plaines police said officers responded to Vortex Vapes, located inside a strip mall in the 1500 block of Rand Road, just before 9 a.m. for a report of a suspect, a 26-year-old man from Des Plaines, armed with a box cutter, who confronted the shop employee.
The employee was able to escape the business, but the suspect stayed and barricaded himself inside, police said.
The Tactical Response Team responded to the business and arrested the suspect, who surrendered without incident.
The business was closed for about four hours. Police said the area is now safe for travel, and the business has since reopened.
This incident is still under investigation. Des Plaines police said they will provide additional information once it becomes available.
An Illinois high school football assistant coach has been arrested on criminal sexual abuse charges.
High School on SI previously reported that John “Jake” Wakey had been placed on leave and was being investigated after the FBI received a tip accusing an employee of inappropriate sexual conduct involving a former student over a year ago.
From that tip, investigators confirmed that at least eight students from 2013 to 2015 were abused by Wakey, according to a report by Capitol News Illinois. Thursday, he was arrested and charged with nine Class 2 felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Illinois Assistant Football Coach Was Investigated By FBI, Local Law Enforcement
The charges involve victims aged 13-to-17 by a person in a position of trust during the 2013, 2014 and 2015 school years. Four former students provided statements to Williamson County detectives, with eight total potential victims being connected to the investigation.
“Of those eight identifiable victims, four individuals have presently memorialized the facts of their experiences on the records with investigators, which ultimately formed the basis for the charges announced,” Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich said during a press conference. “In cases involving criminal sexual abuse, it frequently requires a victim-survivor to come forward, disclose what occurred and allow investigators to memorialize those facts for prosecution.
“For many victims, that process can take months or even years, as appears to have occurred in this investigation.”
It was also reported that the offenses involved members of the Carterville High School football team, where Wakey served as an assistant coach.
John “Jake” Wakey Has Previously Been In Trouble As Teacher, Coach
Wakey was placed on paid administrative leave back in February 2026 once the school district received word that he was involved in an investigation. He had worked for the Carterville School District since 2003 as both a teacher and as an assistant football coach.
Previously, Wakey had been suspended for 10 days in 2009 after being accused of inappropriately texting students, allowing students at his home and drinking in front of students. He was not charged at the time. He also received a misdemeanor conviction for providing liquor to minors in 2003 before joining Carterville.
“The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office is aware of longstanding community concerns, suspicions, rumors and allegations involving inappropriate conduct, including allegations related to alcohol, student-teacher contact and the sharing of images involving students and/or faculty members,” Diederich said.
Wakey is set to be held at the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office after being transferred from the Livingston County Jail. The Carterville Board of Education is expected to hold a special meeting to take action on the “discipline and/or dismissal of a licensed employee of the District.”
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