BRIDGEVIEW, Ill.—Mack Sutter is a name to know for the 2026 recruiting class.
The soon to be four-star athlete out of Illinois has a great frame standing at 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds. Sutter is a true athlete for Dunlap High School that plays a little bit of everything. He plays some quarterback, tight end, wide receiver, defensive end and outside linebacker.
But right now, schools are starting to lock in on him playing tight end in college.
The list of schools that are after him seem to grow by the day. He’s got a busy schedule of visits coming up this spring.
Ole Miss: March 21
Illinois: April 2
Purdue: April 6
Northwestern: April 9
South Florida: April 19
Nebraska: April 27 (Spring game)
Iowa: TBD
Wisconsin: TBD
Michigan State: TBD
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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK
Sunday: Who could unseat Jahkeem Stewart in the 2026 class?
Monday: Five-Star Countdown | Meet the new five-stars
Tuesday: Rivals250 released | Ten highest debuts | Gorney’s thoughts
Wednesday: Offensive position rankings released
Thursday: Defensive position rankings released
Friday: State rankings released
Saturday: Roundtable on the 2026 rankings
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That’s a lot of travel to different schools so he can learn even more about the schools he is really considering. Sutter has a game plan for what he wants to see on those visits.
“I just want to build a strong relationship with my position coach. And find where I fit best with the coach,” Sutter said.
This round of visits will be important for Sutter as he starts to narrow down his recruitment. There are a couple strong factors that will guide his ultimate decision.
“Really the coaching staff,” Sutter said. “I’m going to be with them every day so a good coaching staff. Personally for me, I’d like to go to a school with a really cool atmosphere to play in. That’d be great.”
RIVALS REACTION:
It’s early in Sutter’s recruitment even though he’s one of the hottest 2026 prospects in the Midwest. The schools that he’s going to visit certainly have a leg up at this stage but a few stand above the others to me.
Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska are schools that I’m watching closely at this stage for the future tight end. It’ll be particularly interesting to see how he feels after visiting Lincoln for the spring game. There are other schools on his list with a good game day atmosphere but it’s tough to beat Nebraska in that area.
Ole Miss is a wildcard school in this recruitment too. It feels like Sutter will end up in the Big Ten somewhere, it’s just a matter of where.
