Alabama will have to hold off Ohio State for elite 2026 offensive commitment

It's that time of the year. The sharks are circling the waters and trying to flip committed prospects. Alabama is one of them, pushing for several committed prospects across the country to solidify one of the nation's elite classes in the 2026 cycle.

Part of the burden of having so much elite talent in one class is that opposing teams and coaches will not stop pushing for your commits until the paperwork is signed and the ink is dry.

4-star TE Mack Sutter from Dunlap, Illinois, committed to Alabama back in late June during the Crimson Tide's unbelievable summer recruiting run. He has seemed locked in with the Crimson Tide, but that's not going to keep other programs from trying to sway him.

One of those programs is Ohio State, which was one of his four finalists along with Alabama, home-state Illinois, and Ole Miss:

Kalen DeBoer will have to fight to keep Mack Sutter locked in with Alabama

It's just the nature of recruiting, especially in the modern era. Commitments aren't binding, and recruiting never truly stops. Even if programs don't think they have a real shot at flipping a prospect, they'll keep in contact because who knows what will happen a year from now? The Transfer Portal changed everything, and you might get a second crack at a prospect after his freshman season if he isn't happy with the playing time he got.

Sutter was always going to continue generating interest. He's the No. 6-ranked TE and No. 90 overall prospect in the composite rankings. He has the size at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds to be an instant contributor at the college level. He's got the size of a TE with WR skill; he's going to be a difference maker at the next level.

Kalen DeBoer has made a significant push to increase the talent level of Alabama's tight end room. The Tide's top TE on the 2025 team - Josh Cuevas - is a senior. So is veteran depth piece Brody Dalton, and who knows what the future holds for the oft-injured veteran Danny Lewis Jr.

Alabama signed two 4-star tight ends in the 2025 cycle: Kaleb Edwards and Marshall Pritchett, both of whom are seeing early playing time as freshmen. DeBoer and Ryan Grubb can point to their quick development - and plenty of other examples on the roster - that Alabama is willing to play its freshmen if they earn a role.

Sutter is a key piece to Alabama's class. He's the third-best offensive prospect committed, according to the rankings, behind only WR Cederian Morgan and RB Ezavier Crowell.

If Alabama wants to hang on to Sutter, it's going to have to withstand a furious charge from Ohio State.