The last time Miami and Mario Cristobal spent multimillions on a player, he got drafted as the first pick in the NFL. $1.5 million for Cam Ward, at that time, looked expensive, right? Well, now the head coach swooped Carson Beck on a $4 million NIL deal and sneakily got Xavier Lucas from the Wisconsin Badgers even before he entered the transfer portal. If recruiting is a game in college football, then Cristobal isn’t just a player; he is someone in the backroom writing the rules. Don’t believe it? Consider the latest deal: the head coach has landed. And the game has just been redesigned. And? It’s massive.

The Longhorns came off a 10-3 record last season, had their QB be a Heisman finalist, and drafted in the first round. Yet no silverware was in sight. The Canes got bested by a first-year head coach, Fran Brown, in the ACC championship against Syracuse. Moreover, with 2 losses in the regular season and a relatively weaker schedule, the team also didn’t see themselves in the playoffs. Something felt off at the moment, and Mario Cristobal was ready to prepare for the war ahead. Now the HC has landed a beast in Jackson Cantwell.

According to recent reports by ON3, the Hurricanes have finally landed the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class, Jackson Cantwell (OT). Mind you, it’s an even bigger move than Carson Beck’s. Brooks Austin posted the details of the $5 million deal that Cristobal just paid to land Cantwell after all. The ON3 network’s director of recruiting posted on X.

“Sources told me last week the price tag for Jackson Cantwell escalated to close to $5m. Miami called and called late into the evening. Eventually, the guaranteed money won out, I’m told. That being said, Mirabal and a few million aren’t a bad decision.“. The NIL money was apparent for Miami for several reasons, because it was reported earlier too, but no one had thought it would be $5 million. Cantwell spoke about the commitment, too.

“You have no idea how much of a load just got lifted off my shoulders,” Cantwell said. “I’m so glad it’s done. Thankful for the process, but glad it’s done. It’s just a blessing to get paid to play the game that I love. … There’s so many people that dream about getting to do that because the NFL is usually the end goal — and it absolutely is for me, as well. And I’m just excited I get to earn money in college and the NFL“. Surely, the money will be an ultimate motivator, and it was always going down this way, with Mario Cristobal in the picture.

Earlier, ON3’s Pete Nakos reported that Miami had offered Jackson a deal close to $2 million in NIL money. Despite interest from programs like Oregon and Georgia, which themselves had deep NIL collectives, the player was always interested in Miami. The contention? It was always going to be how much Miami was willing to shell out, as Pete Nakos said. “Miami has the most lucrative first-year deal on the table for 5-star OT Jackson Cantwell, sitting around the $2M mark“. But now that the star has signed the deal, what does it mean for Miami?

What does Jackson Cantwell bring to Miami?

The O-line last year for Miami was a steel wall protecting Cam Ward as he delivered 4,313 passing and 204 rushing yards last season. Even Jackson Cantwell was impressed by how good the O-line was at Miami, as he said. “Cam Ward had all the time to do basically whatever he wanted in there. He was rolling around for like 30 seconds. To be able to have a guy do that, you’ve got to have some good pass protection up front.” But more than that, the player comes with incredible talent.

Standing tall at 6’8″ and 320 lbs, the guy is a built-in tank. Just watch his high school tapes and you will know. A Nixa High School player, the OT performed 158 pancake blocks and became the leader of the O-line. He produced 3,710 rushing yards in 14 games and led the team to the state championship. There was a reason why Cantwell was rated 1st overall, which is itself a rare feat.

For context, the last time Miami landed a 1st overall recruit was in 2000 with linebacker D.J Williams. The signing of Cantwell boosts Miami’s reputation of being the ‘O-line farm’. It bolsters the program’s history with players like Sewell and Mauigoa. It is hoped that Cantwell will address Cristobal’s struggles in big games like we saw against Syracuse, and will help produce a top ten offense.