Michigan and Ohio State host 5-star 2026 OT Jackson Cantwell

Missouri 2026 5-star OT Jackson Cantwell ready to narrow top schools list.

Cantwell family at Michigan with Sherrone Moore. / Cantwell family

The debate on Jackson Cantwell being the best player in the 2026 class aside, there is no debate that the Nixa High School product is the best offensive tackle in the country. Teams have laid down over 30 offers with a top school’s list of 14 shared with the public some five months ago. That list will get shorter in the coming weeks.

The favorites for Cantwell (6-8, 320) in alphabetical order: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Texas A&M, and USC.

An update on Cantwell’s overall recruiting process was given, “I have closed it down. I am not talking to new schools. It is hard enough to swing what I have so far.”

The teams in heavy contact trying to sign the five-star was covered.

“Pretty much all of them – Missouri, Georgia, A&M, Nebraska, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State; there’s a lot. There’s not one reaching out more than the others.”

Big Ten stalwarts Michigan and Ohio State welcomed Cantwell to campus over the weekend. The time in Ann Arbor was good for Cantwell.

“I enjoyed it,” Cantwell said. “It was a fun visit. We did lots of cool stuff. I learned more about how I would develop on and off the field there; we talked some ball. I really enjoyed it.”

The extra time in Columbus was worth the trip.

“It is always fun to visit there,” Cantwell shared. “I got to meet a lot of cool coaches. Coach (Ryan) Day, coach (Chip) Kelly (OC), and coach (Justin) Frye (OL), are great dudes. I got to experience a lot of what the Ohio State guys do daily. I saw inside the program and learned more about why they do what they do. It was cool to see that.”

During college football’s regular season, Nebraska, Missouri, Georgia, Alabama, and Miami got Cantwell in their house. Coral Gables did not disappoint.  

“It was a fun trip,” Cantwell explained. “When it is cold here, it is not nearly the same in Miami. I enjoyed it a lot. It was really fun.”

Trips in the early part of the New Year are in the works.

“I’m not 100 percent sure right now,” Cantwell stated. “I’m not going to new places. I do want to take a few more visits but I am not sure where yet. I will know in the coming weeks.”

The list of top schools will soon be trimmed.

“I’m at 14 schools right now, I want to go down to six to eight,” Cantwell said. “From there I will go down to three to four official visits. I will go down to six to eight, I’m guessing, in February. I will see what that looks like in a little bit.”

Asked how he will firm up the top schools in February, Cantwell replied, “The first time around I was trying to get rid of schools that I was not interested in. This time around it will be more difficult. I am trying to figure out my official visits. If I can’t see myself playing for that school, I won’t go on an official visit there. I will go to the places I will enjoy playing at.”

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