It’s Alabama: Dunlap recruit Mack Sutter chooses iconic college football destination

• Sutter chose the Crimson Tide over Illinois, Ole Miss, and Ohio State.
• He is the No. 1 prospect in Illinois and the No. 80 prospect nationally, according to 247Sports Composite.
• Sutter is the first tight end in Alabama’s 2026 recruiting class.

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.