Five-star OT target Jackson Cantwell rocks Missouri & Georgia gloves during Nixa at Lebanon game

By Maliha

Modified Sep 29, 2024 14:05 GMT

Five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell's combination of size, strength and athleticism makes him one of the most sought-after prospects in the 2026 class. The junior, the son of Olympians Christian Cantwell and Teri Cantwell, has already received offers from almost all big college programs, including Missouri and Georgia.

Cantwell's high school football team, the Nixa Eagles, is fresh off a 56-12 win over Lebanon on Friday. The 6-foot-7.5, 305-pound offensive tackle was rocking one Mizzou glove and one Georgia glove following the win.

A snap of his mismatched gloves was posted by Starcade Media on X. Cantwell retweeted the post, tagging Missouri coach Eliah Dinkwitz and offensive line coach Brandon Jones as well as Georgia coach Kirby Smart and offensive line coach Stacy Searels.

"💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻@CoachDrinkwitz @CoachJonesB @SSearels @KirbySmartUGA."

In an interview with Starcade Media, Cantwell explained the decision behind his choice of gloves, saying:

"Yeah, so honestly, I just felt like wearing some different gloves today. I mean, we're playing team with black jerseys, want some black gloves, just a little strategy there for you guys to play offensive line, and then so I got Georgia gloves.

"I got some cool Mizzou gloves. Like design on these, got some Mizzou and Tigers sprinkled in there. Just thought they were cool."

Jackson Cantwell has indicated that he plans to make his decision by next fall, around the start of his senior season. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, Missouri currently holds a 25.2% chance of securing his commitment, followed by Nebraska (17.7%), Oklahoma (11.5%) and Alabama (9.6%).

Jackson Cantwell opens up about the game-day experience at Missouri

Jackson Cantwell was in attendance for Missouri's thrilling SEC opening matchup against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium.

In Week 4's hard-fought contest, both teams found the end zone on their first possessions in overtime, pushing the game into double overtime. The Tigers clinched a 30-27 victory, and Cantwell had a good time experiencing the thrilling game.

"Pretty fun experience, [Vanderbilt] made it a really good game," Cantwell told SI. "Overtime, it's hard to run there, especially against SEC opponents. I mean, I was fun to see."

Over the past two years, Cantwell has built a strong bond with Missouri’s coaching staff, particularly offensive line coach Brandon Jones.

The offensive tackle's relationship with the Tigers has grown, as Eli Drinkwitz personally showed his support by flying into Carthage, Missouri, to watch him play for Nixa against the Joplin Eagles on Sept. 20. The Eagles won the game 34-14, with Cantwell delivering an incredible performance that included seven pancake blocks.

Jackson Cantwell is ranked by Rivals as the No. 2 overall prospect in the nation, the top offensive tackle in the 2026 class and the top prospect in Missouri. Throughout five games of the season so far, he recorded 54 pancake blocks, per MaxPreps.