No. 1 recruit Jackson Cantwell reveals new upcoming visit and changes commitment date

Five-Star Plus+ offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell was all set to announce his commitment on April 30, choosing between Georgia, Oregon, Miami and Ohio State.

He will visit the Ducks this coming weekend, and the latest intel suggested it was largely a two-team race between them and the Hurricanes. Not so fast. On Wednesday, Cantwell announced that he has moved his decision back two weeks to May 13 and will now take an unofficial visit to Georgia just a few days prior on May 10.

#NSGB. pic.twitter.com/mCc3vdj0YJ

— Jackson Cantwell (@jcantwell2499) April 23, 2025

The Bulldogs have been one of the longest-tenured teams on his offer list and have made him their top priority along the offensive line this cycle. And now they’ll be battling the Ducks, Hurricanes and Buckeyes over the final few weeks to land Cantwell.

Previously, he listed his top schools as the four mentioned above, as well as Missouri and Michigan, but eliminated the latter two when he first announced his commitment would happen on April 30. Before he gets to Athens, he’ll stop in Eugene, where the Ducks and Missouri native Dan Lanning have been pushing hard for him.

“It’s an opportunity to check out Eugene one more time and to make sure Oregon is what I last remember it as,” Cantwell told On3’s Steve Wiltfong last week. “Also I haven’t seen a spring practice up there yet and seen a few other minor details, so it would be good to do so.”

Cantwell took visits in the spring to Miami, Michigan and Ohio State. The Hurricanes are a school that has been surging up his list, and they made a strong impression on him during his trip to Coral Gables last month.

“I thought it was a great visit,” Cantwell told CaneSport. “I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed getting to continue to build relationships with all of the coaches there, continue getting to learn about the University and I had a blast doing that. Getting to watch practice and learn about what they do was really, really fun. I mean, just getting to learn about how they prepare you for life in general and the world outside of football.”

Georgia looking to make a late push?

The Bulldogs, led by offensive line coach Stacy Searels, have been in his recruitment as long as any school, and they’ve made their mark on him throughout the process.

“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,” Cantwell said in January. “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.”

Ohio State, meanwhile, is another school that moved up his list quickly over the past six months after he visited in November and then again in March. The Buckeyes are considered a longshot contender to land him at this stage.

Jackson Cantwell Scouting Report

The 6-foot-7, 305-pounder is the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

On3’s Scouting and Rankings team writes this about him as a prospect:

“Big-framed offensive tackle with eye-popping athleticism and functional strength as a high school underclassman. Measured at over 6-foot-7, 205 pounds prior to his sophomore season. Has solid length with 33.5-inch arms and big hands. Owns a phenomenal athletic profile as one of the top shot put throwers in the country for his age group. Posted a personal best throw of over 64 feet as a freshman. Also posted strong testing numbers in the college camp setting. Transfers those gifts over to the football field where he shows strong coordination and function strength. Moves well laterally and plays with a good anchor. Initially began his career as a tight end and has grown into an offensive tackle. Has deep athletic bloodlines with both parents being Olympic track and field athletes as throwers. Younger for the cycle with a May birthday.”