Recruiting Shock: Miami Hurricanes Back in Contention for 5-Star OT Jackson Cantwell With Decision Coming Today
Mario Cristobal has landed several key five-star recruits throughout his time at Oregon and now Miami (DE Hayden Lowe this past cycle; DT Justin Scott, DE Marquise Lightfoot, DE Armondo Blount in 2024; and OL Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola in 2023). And today Cristobal’s put the Miami Hurricanes right in the mix for the nation’s No. 1-ranked player regardless of position, Nixa (MO) High School 5-star OT Jackson Cantwell.
The 6-8, 305-pounder is choosing at 3:45 p.m. between Georgia, Miami and Oregon.
Just 24 hours ago, most pundits were picking him to land with the Bulldogs. But as fans woke up this morning Miami was right back in it. In this modern day of recruiting, of course, this all comes down to a program that can develop, win, and has NIL money in place.
The perception now is it’s a Miami-Georgia battle. The Canes were considered the leader late last month before the Bulldogs reportedly took the lead. Now it seems like it could go either way.
On3’s Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman broke down where things stand as of today.
“Miami wants him really, really, really bad,” Wasserman said. “It looks like they made a lot of headway in the last few days in maybe making that a reality. There’s a lot to talk about if Miami gets him, because when it comes to theory of how to build a roster, how much an offensive lineman is worth – there’s a lot here to talk about.”
Wasserman says he’s heard the talk of “how it better be Georgia for the development aspect of it,” but points out how Cristobal and Alex Mirabal have a bigtime reputation for developing OL talent.
“Miami has done a really good job too with offensive linemen,” Wasserman said. “Mario Cristobal going back to Oregon has built his teams in the trenches.
“Why Miami is obsessed with having him is they understand how important it is to have offensive linemen like this, especially in the ACC. I don’t know if this is controversial, but it’s a fair assumption or fact that you have a higher level of defensive linemen across the board in the SEC. … If you have an elite tackle in the ACC, that takes you a long way. Miami is a fascinating program because I’m not overly high on them this year, put them No. 25 that I released on Monday.”
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Staples pointed out that Miami and Georgia “are pretty close” when it comes to developing offensive linemen but says how the Bulldogs can point out how they are winning more championships in recent years.
“At his position they are proven developers (at Miami),” Staples adds.
Staples also points out how Miami has built much of its roster through the portal … but how that’s not as much the case on the offensive line. Other than the center position and guard Javion Cohen, this has been pretty much a home-grown O line for Cristobal in his time at UM.
And Wasserman said “I don’t think you can build your offensive line through the portal, 1 through 5,” adding that Miami is hitting the portal hard “but still lands top 10, top 15 classes” vs. a Florida State that’s relied much heavier on the portal for overall roster talent.
“Miami has built its roster in the last four years in a more healthy, sustainable way than Florida State has,” Wasserman said. “Miami is as dangerous in recruiting and the portal because of NIL. They have a coach with a pretty good track record of winning. There is a lot to like about the build there.
“If Cantwell were to go there it wouldn’t be him selling his soul to go to a second-rate program. He’d be going to a program that can be viewed as an up-and-coming contender. They’re dangerous.”
