In the heart of the Midwest lied two four-star tight ends, who had ties to the University of Illinois.
JC Anderson told me he grew up a fan of the Illini. Mack Sutter was a Northwestern Wildcats fan, but his grandfather, Ed, played for Illinois in the 1950s – good enough.
Bret Bielema made the duo, arguably, his top two 2026 recruiting targets. Tight end is a hot commodity, and it’s been an area that’s “lacked” under the Bielema era.
When talking about being a receiving threat, which is often used for elite passing attacks.
Tip Reiman being drafted in the 3rd round is awesome, but he was not a passing catching threat in Champaign.
Daniel Barker had potential, but transferred to Michigan State. Luke Ford had potential too, but became more of a blocker. Tanner Arkin is good. And if Cole Rusk didn’t tear his ACL, he could’ve made some noise, after a successful prior stint at Murray State.
While Bielema’s had a good sales pitch, Southeastern Conference heavy weights swooped into the Land of Lincoln, dampening the 2026 recruiting class.
A couple months ago, I asked people connected with national recruiting if they had an idea on Anderson’s college choice. I was told Illinois was the front-runner, and Auburn was second.
But as 247 Sports said at Anderson’s commitment announcement, they said each of the final three schools – Illini, Auburn and Ole Miss – took turns at the top spot. Or at least had serious momentum of getting him.
At the end, Anderson picked the most consistent offense, and program over the last five years compared to Auburn and Illinois.
Lane Kiffin personally flew to Mount Zion during recruitment. Kiffin was a straight-shooter, and impressed Anderson with his offensive acumen. And Kiffin has stats to back it up.
“He is so cerebral,” Mount Zion head coach Pat Etheron told me.
Last year, his tight ends had over 800 receiving yards, and Auburn and Illinois were 350 and 180. While Kiffin doesn’t have a ton of NFL Draft picks at the position, the recent offensive production probably eases a player’s concern.
Making the NFL is Anderson’s top goal, he told me. He thinks Ole Miss is a great place to grow. And his family of nine plans to drive hours to Mississippi and watch him play.
Anderson, a frequent visitors of Illinois football and basketball games for recruitment events, was the 10th best tight end in America, according to 247 Sports.
As for Sutter, he was 7th. His final schools were Ole Miss, Ohio State, Illinois and the Alabama Crimson Tide. It seems like Alabama winning six national titles since 2009 helped tip the scales.
Alabama’s recruiting has been stellar this season, and head coach Kalen DaBoer is happy – it can shake off the narrative that he can’t recruit. (Anyone with a script A on their hat can recruit a football team. It’s Alabama.)
The tight end numbers have been strong, and DaBoer is considered a strong offensive mind. He help lead the Washington Huskies to the national title in 2023 behind Michael Pennix and a top passing offense.
Bielema told the media in January that he thinks Sutter will play in the NFL.
He wanted him. And they worked hard. Sutter was invited to several events, his brother had a scholarship offer at Illinois and he would’ve played very early.
But they ended 0-2 in the Sutter/Anderson sweepstakes. But they did land one tight end last month.
3-star Will Vala from Downers Grove. He’s shorter than both by three inches, but he could fill the need: be a receiving threat. He picked Illinois over offers from Wisconsin and Indiana.
And Illinois, short term, is OK, with Tanner Arkin and Cole Rusk. And there’s always the transfer portal.
The overall recruiting rankings are still strong but they will probably fall by December, as other programs land more four stars. Right now, Rivals has them 11th and 247 Sports has them at 18th.
Illinois has signed six four-stars. Belleville defensive back Nick Hankins was a great get over Missouri, Iowa and Tennessee. Ohio linebacker Cam Thomas is fantastic. Wide receiver Nasir Rankin is the second-best player in Illinois.
However, losing both Sutter and Anderson hurts. Bielema’s pitch of sending several tight ends to the NFL from his Arkansas and Wisconsin days didn’t seal the deal. But in the short term, Illinois is fine. And if they win 10 games again in 2025, the recruiting brand will increase again.
Just for context, before the Citrus Bowl season, Illinois classes usually sat in the mid-40s at best.