Skip to main content
Join

Georgia HC Kirby Smart visits 2026 No. 1 prospect Jackson Cantwell

hunterby:Hunter Shelton•01/27/25•

HunterShelton_

Jackson Cantwell 2 copy 3.jpg

Georgia is in the thick of a jam-packed race to land Nixa (Mo.) Five-Star Plus+ offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 cycle.

The Bulldogs have stood out to the 6-foot-7.5, 305-pounder at points throughout his recruitment. He’s been to Athens and has seen the inner workings of what makes UGA such a powerhouse in the SEC.

On Monday, Dawgs head coach Kirby Smart and offensive line coach Stacy Searels dropped by Nixa to catch up with Cantwell:

Cantwell knows what he’s looking for in his home at the college level. The attentive trench monster sees the pros and cons on each campus, though there aren’t many cons when it comes to Georgia. He broke down his interest in UGA with On3 earlier this month at the Under Armour All-America Game.

“There is a lot. They do a lot of things right. They do a lot of attention to detail. I like Coach Searels a lot. Coach Searels is definitely one of my favorite O-line coaches I’ve seen so far,” Cantwell said.

“When you’re at Georgia you can recruit incredibly well so obviously that will help Coach Searels out a lot, but he also does a pretty good job developing those guys and getting them ready to go play at the next level. That is something I’ve always been excited about with them. And then it’s just UGA. You grow up, you see UGA play in the National Championship a lot and I think they have a really good chance to win one this year so it’s always good to be a contender when looking at schools.”

Alabama, Miami, Oregon, Texas A&M, Nebraska and Missouri are among the other schools that have made an impression and gotten Cantwell to campus. His recruitment will be hotly-contested until a decision rolls around.

Georgia’s 2026 recruiting class currently features four commits and ranks No. 19 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

Bulldogs brought in hefty OL haul in 2025 cycle

Georgia’s 2025 class ranked No. 3 in the nation and was bolstered by five offensive linemen signees, all of whom are in-state blue-chippers.

Atlanta Westlake four-star interior lineman Juan Gaston headlines the group as the No. 136 recruit and No. 10 IOL in the 2025 cycle. He stands at 6-foot-7 and weighs in at 360 pounds. Snellville (Ga.) Parkview four-star IOL Cortez Smith is also a top-200 prospect.

Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes four-star IOL Dontrell Glover is a top-25 player at the position. Evans (Ga.) four-star IOL Mason Short is a top-400 prospect, while Lawrenceville (Ga.) Peachtree Ridge On300 OT Dennis Uzochukwu was the last to join the class, flipping from Georgia State at the end of November.