Illinois football is looking to build one of the best, if not the best, recruiting class in program history.
Bret Bielema and the Illini coaching staff have started well. We have 16 commitments and sit in the top 10 nationally. This doesn’t even include the potential we could still land from the 2026 class.
The state of Illinois has been good for the Orange and Blue, too. The Illini have multiple players committed who are in the top 15 in the state of Illinois, this includes the No. 2 player, Nasir Rankin.
While that is a good start, it is only a start. Illinois can still pull in some great in-state talent, and the program was making a push on Friday.
The Illini coaching staff was in to see Mack Sutter and JC Anderson to kick off the weekend. Anderson posted on social media that he had a “Great time with the #FamILLy.”
Great time with the #FamILLy🔸🔹 at the FourNine!! @IlliniFootball pic.twitter.com/n2hpFu0mcM
— JC Anderson (@jcanderson34) May 24, 2025
Anderson is a 6-foot-6, 230-pound tight end from Mt. Zion High School in Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 160 player in the class of 2026. He is also the No. 10 tight end in the country and the No. 3 player coming out of Illinois.
In the same day, Illinois’ coaches also checked in with Sutter. The big-time tight end’s father posted on social media, “Thank you to the Illini coaches for making it over to PEORIA this morning. Great program and great people!”
Thank you to the Illini coaches for making it over to PEORIA this morning. Great program and great people!@M4ckSutter @BoSutter @RobbyDischer @BretBielema pic.twitter.com/mK2oYnJHeL
— Eddie Sutter (@scudmissle1) May 23, 2025
Sutter is a 6-foot-5, 230-pound tight end from Dunlap High School in Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 82 player in the class of 2026. He is also the No. 7 tight end in the country and the No. 1 player in the state of Illinois.
JC Anderson and Mark Sutter would be the greatest one-two punch Illinois has ever had
The tight end position has not been a point of strength for the Illini for quite some time. Ken Dilger was the last legendary tight end, but we haven’t had any huge impact tight ends since then.
In the class of 2026, the Illini have the chance to not only get one game-changer, but we could possibly land both Anderson and Sutter. This would give the program an incredible one-two punch, and from day one, both players would start.
Illinois’ quarterback room is pretty impressive moving forward. We need weapons, though. The transfer portal has been good to the Illini, but a dynamic duo at the tight end position would give Illinois weapons that no other Big Ten team would have.
Honestly, I am hoping for at least one of the two. Landing both would be massive for the Illini and would shock the recruiting world.