Jackson Cantwell college offers: List of schools in contention for five-star OT

By Aman Sharma

Modified Jul 19, 2024 12:43 GMT

Jackson Cantwell, an outstanding five-star offensive tackle from Nixa, Missouri, is attracting significant attention from top football programs. Standing at 6'8" and weighing 305 pounds, Cantwell is the No. 4 overall prospect and the second-ranked offensive tackle in the 2026 recruiting class, per 247Sports.

With more than 30 offers from premier programs, Cantwell has now trimmed his list to 14 schools. The following is the list of schools in consideration for his commitment:

1. Miami
2. USC
3. Oregon
4. Texas A&M
5. Arkansas
6. LSU
7. Missouri
8. Florida
9. Georgia
10. Ohio State
11. Alabama
12. Michigan
13. Ole Miss
14. Nebraska

Since January, Jackson Cantwell has visited Georgia, Nebraska, Missouri, USC and Oregon. He plans to explore additional campuses over the summer before deciding. He has not fixed a commitment date as he tends to explore the program that fits his different criteria.

"Football team success is a big one," Cantwell told On3 in April. "My relationships with the position coach and the head coach are important. Academics matter too, and every major school has good academics. If my parents like the school, that'd be pretty good too. I think they like a lot of places."

In addition to his football career, Jackson Cantwell is also a distinguished track and field athlete. His father and mother, Christian and Teri (Steer) Cantwell, are both former USA Olympians.

His father, a five-time world champion, won a silver medal in the shot put at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and held the top four shot put throws globally in 2004. His mother competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and was a two-time NCAA shot put champion at SMU.

Jackson Cantwell keeps Ohio State in top 14 schools

Ohio State continues its strong presence in the race for top recruits. Jackson Cantwell ranks as the No. 4 overall prospect and the No. 2 offensive tackle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

Although Cantwell has not yet visited Ohio State, he holds the Buckeyes in high regard. Speaking to On3’s Chad Simmons, he praised the program, saying:

“OSU has a historically great program with a lot of great linemen and coaches within it in the modern day. Coach [Justin] Frye is good at what he does and they churn out offensive line talent.”

Jackson Cantwell also expressed admiration for Miami, highlighting its strong coaching staff for the offensive line under Coach Cristobal and Mirabal.

"Miami has a very good coaching staff for the OL (Coach Cristobal and Mirabal) and has a lot of great history. It’s also a great place to live," he added.

Michigan has also captured his attention due to its exceptional offensive line program and OL-based scheme.

"Michigan is an incredible offensive line school with an OL-based scheme that runs everything well. Coach Moore and Coach Newsome can develop with the best of them," he added.

Ohio State remains a top contender for several other notable offensive linemen in the 2026 cycle, such as four-stars Max Riley, Sam Greer, Micah ‘Champ’ Smith, and Da’Ron Parks.