Jackson Cantwell, the No. 1 overall football recruit in the 2026 high school class, will announce his college destination before the end of the month.
Cantwell, a Nixa High star, will make his announcement on April 30 in the Nixa High School theater building. He told the News-Leader he would set up four hats and pick one between Miami, Georgia, Oregon and Ohio State — meaning he’s ruled out Mizzou and Michigan.
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Cantwell expressed his desire to be done with the recruiting process. He previously said he was hoping to have a school picked out before the end of the summer, but his timeline has moved to before the end of his junior year.
In addition to making a commitment on April 30, he will make an official visit to Oregon on April 26-27.
Here’s what Cantwell previously said about his final four schools:
Georgia football and Kirby Smart
Cantwell: “Georgia develops every position at a high level, and they’ve had many first-round (NFL Draft) tackles over the last couple of years. They develop guys. You don’t want to think going in, ‘Oh, I’m going to the NFL,’ but like everybody that starts at Georgia ends up in the NFL at some point. I just like the Athens area. My mom lived down there for a couple of years when she was training. I like a lot of stuff down there.”
Miami football and Mario Cristobal
Cantwell: “I was on the phone with my mom, and I wondered what the weather was in Coral Gables (when it was snowing and single-digits in Nixa), and it was 78 degrees there. That’s obviously not the only reason I’m looking at Miami. They have the best offensive line coaching duo in the country in (offensive line coach) Alex Murabal and (head coach) Mario Cristobal. Then you add in the student life there, and it’s not going to get a lot better than Miami, Florida. They have a great situation. You watch Cam Ward last year and realize that he couldn’t have done anything he did without those guys.”
Nixa Eagles offensive lineman Jackson Cantwell during warmups before a MSHSAA Class 6 Quarterfinal game against the Lee’s Summit North Broncos at Lee’s Summit North High School in Lee’s Summit, MO on November 22, 2024.
Ohio State football and Ryan Day
Cantwell: “Ohio State’s an interesting one for me because they’re the best team in the country right now. They have Ryan Day, who has done a fantastic job and is probably the most overrated coach in college football when he’s one of the best coaches in college football. I still sometimes don’t even think Ohio State likes him, and I couldn’t tell you why. I think they have a great offense year in and year out. Their offensive line did incredible last year, but I think the interesting thing is that they’ll have a different offensive line coach because he left to go to the Cardinals, and now they have a guy who hasn’t coached O-line since 2016. It’ll be interesting to see how that works out.”
Oregon football and Dan Lanning
Cantwell: “There’s a good argument that Dan Lanning is my favorite coach I’ve met so far. He’s a fantastic dude and a great ball coach. I like him a lot. I think (offensive line coach) A’lique Terry does a great job relating to the kids and does a great job of teaching. It’s very far away, but I think the reason why they have a lot of pull nationwide is just because they’ve won a lot of games. You know about the Oregon brand because of how big they are nationally. They’re on television all the time, you can watch all their stuff, and they win a lot. It’s a lot of fun to watch them.”
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Jackson Cantwell: Five-star football prospect sets date for commitment
