Cantwell, No. 3 recruit for '26, commits to Canes

Miami secured a seismic committedness erstwhile five-star violative tackle Jackson Cantwell, the No. 3 wide imaginable successful the 2026 ESPN 300, picked the Hurricanes implicit Georgia, Oregon and Ohio State connected Tuesday afternoon.

A 6-foot-8, 315-pound lineman from Nixa, Missouri, Cantwell is the No. 1 violative tackle imaginable successful the 2026 recruiting cycle. He commits to the Hurricanes arsenic the highest-ranked subordinate of manager Mario Cristobal's latest recruiting class, landing with Miami days aft an unofficial sojourn to the Bulldogs connected May 10.

Despite the precocious travel to Georgia, Cantwell's finalists battled to the precise end. Sources told ESPN that Oregon sent assistants A'lique Terry and Drew Mehringer to Missouri connected Monday to marque the Ducks' last transportation to Cantwell and his family. Miami tabled the astir lucrative NIL bundle successful Cantwell's recruitment, with sources telling ESPN that the Hurricanes offered a multiyear woody worthy much than $2 cardinal annually.

The Hurricanes yet outmuscled Georgia and Oregon astatine the negotiating table, but Cristobal and Miami had held a consistently rising beingness successful Cantwell's recruitment successful the months starring up to his decision.

Cantwell told ESPN earlier this outpouring that his assurance successful the Hurricanes was bolstered importantly by his March sojourn to Miami -- a travel that crystallized the program's imaginativeness for Cantwell, his spot successful Cristobal and violative Alex Mirabal's way grounds of processing elite violative linemen.

"I got to larn much astir the programme connected that trip," Cantwell said. "I deliberation Cristobal and Mirabal bash a fantastic occupation coaching up the violative line, and the guys similar playing for them. They're bully teachers. I judge Miami is simply a bully spot to unrecorded and study. There's a batch of bully things going for them."

If helium signs aboriginal this year, Cantwell volition people Miami's highest-ranked summation since Cristobal took implicit the programme pursuing the 2021 season. He besides would beryllium the Hurricanes' 4th five-star violative enactment summation crossed the 5 recruiting cycles nether Cristobal.

Miami, which secured the nation's 13th-ranked signing people successful 2025, present holds 5 ESPN 300 commits successful the 2026 class, with Cantwell joining linebacker Jordan Campbell (No. 142 overall), cornerbacks Jontavius Wyman (No. 218) and Jaelen Waters (No. 257) and moving backmost Javian Mallory (No. 257).

Defensive tackle Lamar Brown (No. 1 overall) and moving backmost Derrek Cooper (No. 7) are among the apical recruits acceptable for authoritative visits with Miami aboriginal this spring.

Cantwell emerged arsenic a apical violative enactment imaginable astatine Missouri's Nixa High School, flashing powerfulness and crisp method with awesome footwork for his size arsenic a multiyear starter. The lad of erstwhile Olympic shot-putters Christian Cantwell -- a metallic medalist astatine the 2008 Beijing Games -- and Teri Steer, Cantwell holds aggregate nationalist precocious schoolhouse throwing records and is expected to proceed his way and tract vocation successful college.

Six of the nation's top-10 violative tackle prospects are inactive uncommitted for the 2026 cycle. Oregon is present expected to crook its attraction to Immanuel Iheanacho (No. 12 overall), the cycle's second-ranked violative lineman. Five-star imaginable Felix Ojo (No. 20) and four-star blockers John Turntine III (No. 44), Micah Smith (No. 47), Ekene Ogboko (No. 51) and Darius Gray (No. 73) volition instrumentality their recruitments into the summertime months.