5-star lineman carries Waffle House flag as football team takes the field

Jackson Cantwell leads Nixa (Missouri) onto the field carrying a Waffle House flag, but what does it mean?

Nixa's Jackson Cantwell led his high school football team onto the field Friday, Sept. 13, carrying a Waffle House flag. / Bruce E Stidham Special to the News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jackson Cantwell is one of the hottest high school football prospects in the nation, but the junior five-star offensive tackle is still waffling when it comes to his college choice.

Cantwell led his Nixa (Missouri) football team onto the field Friday night carrying a Waffle House flag.

What did it mean? Was it NIL-related? Or does Cantwell just really like Waffle House?

The son of two Olympic throwers, the 6-foot-7, 300-pound offensive lineman is the No. 2 overall prospect in the Class of 2026 — and also has the potential to become a track and field Olympian as a thrower just like his mom and dad.

Cantwell announced his first major recruiting decision in July, trimming his list of dozens of offers to 14 semifinalists: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Texas A&M and USC.

Here he is leading his team onto the field with the Waffle House flag:

Five-star OT Jackson Cantwell leads his team onto the field carrying…a Waffle House flag pic.twitter.com/orjqvLIqaH

— Mike Roach (@MikeRoach247) September 13, 2024

Now just in case Cantwell really does love Waffle House this much, we decided to evaluate all of those 14 schools based on their proximity to a Waffle House.

Here you go (and thank you, Google Maps):

1. Alabama

Closest Waffle House to campus: 0.2 miles away

2. Arkansas

Closest Waffle House to campus: 0.7 miles away

3. Florida

Closest Waffle House to campus: 1.2 miles away

4. Georgia

Closest Waffle House to campus: 0.5 miles away

5. LSU

Closest Waffle House to campus: 3.3 miles away

6. Miami

Closest Waffle House to campus: 20.4 miles away

7. Michigan

Closest Waffle House to campus: 45.2 miles away

8. Missouri

Closest Waffle House to campus: 1.4 miles away

9. Nebraska

Closest Waffle House to campus: 173 miles away

10. Ohio State

Closest Waffle House to campus: 0.1 miles away

11. Ole Miss

Closest Waffle House to campus: 3.2 miles away

12. Oregon

Closest Waffle House to campus: 1,241 miles away

13. Texas A&M

Closest Waffle House to campus: 89.2 miles away

14. USC

Closest Waffle House to campus: 384 miles away

So in terms of the unofficial Waffle House indicator, expect Cantwell's top three to be Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia, while Oregon, USC and Nebraska have an uphill battle ahead.

When it comes to volume, Georgia would appear to have the edge.

According to a 2022 tally, the Peach State had the most Waffle Houses in the country with 433. That's more than Florida (185), Alabama (153) and Ohio (80) combined.

The only states on Cantwell's list that don't have any Waffle Houses are Nebraska, Oregon and California.

You're welcome.

—

-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive | @sblivesports

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