Race for the No. 1 recruit of the 2026 Class heats up as Mike Elko and Texas A&M staff wrap up their visit

By Viraj Mali

Modified Jan 25, 2025 10:32 GMT

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Jackson Cantwell, a five-star offensive lineman from Nixa High School, has received offers from more than 30 programs from all across the country. The 6-foot-7.5 athlete is sitting on offers from schools such as Missouri, Nebraska, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, TCU, LSU and Ohio State.

Despite so many offers, there are around 10 programs that are still in contention for the talented offensive lineman, as per On3. One of these programs is Mike Elko's Texas A&M. The Aggies' staff was in Nixa to pay a visit to the top offensive lineman from the Class of 2026. Cantwell shared a picture of himself with Elko, offensive line coach Adam Cushing and running backs coach Trooper Taylor.

"A little late but thankful for @CoachMikeElko, @CoachCushing, and @CoachTroop_ for coming through Nixa!" Cantwell wrote in the caption.

Other programs that are in contention to sign the talented offensive lineman are Georgia, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Michigan and Oklahoma. Elko and company have landed commitments from 10 athletes from the Class of 2026 and the program is ranked second in the 2026 Overall Team Rankings, as per 247Sports.

Jackson Cantwell is the best overall prospect from the Class of 2026 and is rated 98.80, according to On3.

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Jackson Cantwell had high praise for the Aggies after his visit

The Texas A&M Aggies hosted the best overall prospect from the Class of 2026, Jackson Cantwell in January. He came out of the visit with a lot of praise for Mike Elko and the Aggies.

"They made me feel like a priority this weekend," Cantwell told On3's Chad Simmons after his visit. "The message is that they can develop as well as anybody and that I’d be in a unique position to be competing for reps early due to their offensive line losing a lot of contributors this year and next."

Cantwell also had a good chat with the program's offensive line coach Adam Cushing as well as the team's offensive coordinator Collin Klein and spoke about them in the interview.

"Talking ball with coach Cushing and coach Klein ... Learning about how they do the weight room, and meeting with the track coaches were some of the highlights," he said. "Coach Cushing’s ball knowledge and ability to teach stood out a lot too. How coach Klein operates his offense also caught my attention."

According to On3, the Texas A&M Aggies have a 3.0% chance of landing the five-star prospect. The Missouri Tigers are the current favorites to land the talented offensive lineman, as per On3.