Mack Sutter‘s long awaited college football decision is upon us.
The Dunlap four-star tight end will make his official commitment at a ceremony on Thursday, choosing between four power programs: Alabama, Illinois, Ohio State and Ole Miss.
Sutter’s decision is a culmination of an 18-month long process that has included 45 scholarship offers. The Class of 2026 recruit is one of the most sought-after football recruits in Peoria-area history.
Here is what you need to know about Sutter, including his family history, the timeline of offers and his playing resume.
Who is Mack Sutter?
The 6-foot-6, 225-pounder has an elite athletic pedigree. He is the son of Eddie and Tracy Sutter. Eddie played at Richwoods and Northwestern before a six-year NFL career with the Vikings, Browns, Patriots, Ravens, Bengals, Dolphins and Falcons. Eddie’s sister, Theresa Mangieri, has four sons that all played NCAA Division-I athletics — P.J. (2009, Nebraska football), Nick (2012, Indiana football), Luke (2015, Bradley and minor league baseball) and Charlie (2023, Northwestern football).
Mack Sutter also has four siblings, all athletically inclined. Grace played soccer at Dunlap and now works in community relations with the Cleveland Browns; Elle just completed an all-American soccer career at D-III North Central College, where she also played basketball; Lily plays D-I soccer at Lindenwood; and brother Bo is a rising sophomore football player at Dunlap who holds a scholarship offer from Illinois.
Mack Sutter on the recruiting trail
Sutter picked up his first scholarship offer from Nebraska on Jan. 24, 2024. From there, he picked up 13 more offers over the next two months. Back-to-back offers from national championship program Alabama and Michigan soon followed. Sutter in August 2024 narrowed his list to 12 schools, but other programs continued to pursue.
In January 2025, Sutter received 11 more offers in a 30-day span that included Oklahoma, Texas, Notre Dame, USC, Colorado and North Carolina.
On Feb. 15, Sutter chopped his list again, setting five official visits to Illinois (April 11), Ole Miss (April 25), Ohio State (May 30), Penn State (June 6) and Alabama (June 20). On June 27, selected between Alabama, Illinois, Ohio State and Ole Miss.
All told, Sutter tallied 45 offers from schools in the Big Ten (16), SEC (14), ACC (9), Big 12 (4), American Athletic (1) conferences and Notre Dame, the lone independent (1).
Mack Sutter stats: How he performed on the field
Sutter has helped Dunlap of the Mid-Illini Conference earn a 12-8 record over the past two seasons, including a pair of playoff appearances in Class 6A, the third-largest class in Illinois. He is a two-time selection to the all-M-I first team and the Journal Star all-area team.
In his junior season, Sutter played receiver and linebacker. He caught 35 balls for 505 yards and seven touchdowns. He also filled in one game at quarterback, throwing for 119 yards. On defense, Sutter had 29 tackles, six sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception return for a touchdown.
As a sophomore, Sutter played quarterback, wide receiver and linebacker. He recorded 20 tackles and five tackles for loss as a linebacker. He threw for 710 yards and eight touchdowns under center.
What’s next for Mack Sutter?
After his decision, Sutter will play his senior season with the Eagles. Dunlap will open its 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.