Nixa High Star Jackson Cantwell is going to take his sweet time looking before he takes a leap. He isn’t your run-of-the-mill five-star recruit; he’s the top offensive tackle in the 2026 class with the genetic backup of a father and a mother who are Olympic shot put throwers. Now, Jackson has gone back and forth on a lot of things. First, he rescheduled his commitment to April 30 after planning to be in Eugene for the annual spring game. And just like that, the Oregon Ducks were the team to beat. That was an April 14 update, and nearly two weeks have passed. Safe to say, Jackson has kept his cards close and has narrowed it down to these four: Miami, Georgia, Oregon, and Ohio State.

• Why Georgia? Firstly, for a good number of first-round (NFL Draft) tackles over the last couple of years. And secondly, a familiarity he has with Athens, where his mom Teri lived around UGA for a couple of years when she was training as an Olympian.
• Why Miami? A warm place in Coral Gables versus what he’s used to in Nixa, where it can go as low as single digits. But more importantly, Jackson describes offensive line coach Alex Murabal and head coach Mario Cristobal as ‘the best offensive duo’: “You watch Cam Ward last year and realize that he couldn’t have done anything he did without those guys.”
• Why Oregon? “There’s a good argument that Dan Lanning is my favorite coach I’ve met so far.” He finds how offensive line coach A’lique Terry teaches the ‘Law Firm’ relatable. He loves the appeal they carry and how they have a lot of pull nationwide. Except for the fact that this will take him very far away, the heart wants what the heart wants.
• Why Ohio State? He called “Ohio State’s an interesting one.” With Justin Frye leaving to coach for the Cardinals, Beau Atkinson takes his place. And the fact that “they have a guy who hasn’t coached O-line since 2016,” it might have put Ohio State’s prospects of landing Jackson on a bit of a back burner.

As promised, Jackson visited Eugene, alright. But before he did, on April 23, he changed his mind to reschedule his commitment back to May 13. Reason being, he was planning a visit to the Georgia Bulldogs in the meantime. A day later, On3’s Steve Wiltfong logged an expert prediction that Cantwell will commit to Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs. Considering he pushed his commitment date further, Lanning knew he had to pull the big guns when Jackson was finally over at the Autzen Stadium. And pull guns, they did. Now, quite contrary to last week’s prediction where he logged Jackson in favor of Georgia last week, Steve Wiltfong told On3 Recruits all the twists that the Ducks official visit entailed on Wednesday:

“Talking to Jackson Cantwell on Monday morning, and talking to his father, Christian Cantwell, it was obviously a huge visit with Oregon. It really moved the needle. Jackson told me: ‘They have it all. They do everything right. It was just a great experience overall.’ He got a chance to spend time with players on the team and with former OL [2023 Rimington Trophy, No. 44 draft pick, and current Raiders’ OL Jackson Powers-Johnson] that spoke firsthand about their experiences in Eugene. It didn’t hurt that Josh Conerly just heard his name in the first round of the NFL Draft (29th overall).

“What Oregon offers their student-athletes on and off the field, from a branding and NIL opportunity standpoint, is second to none. So, I think, Jackson Cantwell left Eugene as a place he could very much see himself attending college, playing football, throwing the shot put and discus… Obviously, them being the Nike program that they are, the folks that he got a chance to talk to on campus that make those things happen. So, Oregon is trending up for Jackson Cantwell… Two summers ago, when he started hitting the road and checking out his favorite programs, I think he’s always felt comfortable with Georgia, and what they offer, and how they develop their athletes, and how they’re always in contention for championships. But this visit to Oregon showed him that Oregon’s on the cusp, the defending Big-10 champs.”

Here’s a straight-up fact: It is expected that Jackson will see a last-minute push from Mario Cristobal and a visit to meet with Kirby Smart in the next two weeks. But, for now, Jackson Cantwell looks pretty thrilled, “Man. That was a blast. Thank you to Coach Lanning, Coach Terry & the rest of the Law Firm, and everyone else that spent time with me this weekend.”

After losing Kodi Greene’s commitment to Washington, Dan Lanning isn’t taking any risk with Jackson Cantwell. They are also rooting for Immanuel Iheanacho’s commitment. But for now, NIL might also play a big part in Cantwell’s recruitment.

Jackson Cantwell hires the deadliest ‘Shark’ in the industry

Look, NIL does play a crucial role in shaping teams. Take Bryce Underwood’s 10.5 million deal, for instance. And that’s exactly what might give Oregon an upper hand over other programs in Cantwell’s recruitment. Dan Lanning has Phil Knight’s Nike deal, which he can easily use to get his favorite players. And on top of that, Jackson Cantwell’s rumored NIL package, as per 247Sports, also says the same story.

According to a report from 247 Sports, Jackson signed with star Miami-based agent Drew ‘Shark’ Rosenhaus. Although this definitely attracts a lot of attention, considering Rosenhaus has killer instincts to strike up the best deals in the industry, his family admits that team fit will be prioritized above everything else. Regardless, Rosenhaus is reported to look for more than $2 million annually over three year for Jackson’s college commitment.

“Couple key takeaways for Jackson would be their commitment to helping him reach the level of personal development that he is capable of whatever that ends up being,” Cantwell’s father, Christian Cantwell, said of the Oregon visit to On3 Sports. “They had Jackson Powers-Johnson come back and be a big part of the weekend and give his testimony for Coach Terry and the entire staff. They had Josh Conerly come in and develop and they see Jackson being on a similar path.”

The best part is that Jackson Cantwell has one more visit left for Georgia before making his final announcement. So, one last roll of the dice from Kirby Smart and his team, and we shall wait until May 13 when Jackson makes his final call. Stay tuned!