Michigan Football Recruiting: Wolverines impress nations No. 1 overall prospect

Jerred Johnson | 6 Hours Ago

Nixa's Jackson Cantwell seen here against Webb City on August 25, 2023. / Bruce E Stidham Special to the News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK

Fresh off closing the deal with the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class, Coach Sherrone Moore and his staff have made 2026 No. 1 overall recruit Jackson Cantwell a clear priority. The 6-8 320 pound mauler has a 'who's who' list of suitors including usual the suspects like Alabama, Georgia, Texas and Ohio State.

Cantwell visited Michigan and Ohio State over the weekend and left both visits impressed with the perennial Big Ten powerhouses. He called two-time Joe Moore award winning University of Michigan, an "appealing" school. Cantwell also proclaimed that he is going to shut down his recruiting for a while after taking quite a few visits to digest everything he has seen so far.

Michigan and Ohio State made strong first impressions on 2026 No. 1 overall prospect Jackson Cantwell, he tells @ChadSimmons_👀

“The visits were relatively similar.”

Read: https://t.co/c9M36imDkk pic.twitter.com/p0t4jQwk4J
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) December 17, 2024

Cantwell hails out of NIxa High School in Nixa (Mo.). He led his team to a 13-1 record and a deep run in the state playoffs before falling short of a state title. He is the consensus No. 1 player in the 2026 class and has stated that he will be narrowing his list of 30-plus offers down to a smaller group in the coming weeks.

The nimble footed lineman also excels on the Nixa High School basketball team, showcasing his incredible athleticism and footwork that has college coaches salivating. Can Michigan football close the deal and land the No. 1 player on aback to back classes? If we have learned anything about Coach Moore and his recruiting team, it is to never count them out.

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