The country’s No. 1 offensive tackle in the class of 2026 will not be donning the Scarlet and Gray.
Jackson Cantwell, the No. 1 prospect in the entire class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, did have Ohio State in his final schools, but the writing seemed to be on the wall that he wouldn’t be coming to the banks of the Olentangy as his commitment date neared. Instead, the Missouri native chose the Miami Hurricanes over OSU, Oregon, and Georgia on Tuesday.
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You never completely know what goes into these decisions nowadays, especially with Name, Image and Likeness being a part of the equation, but Miami reportedly had the highest NIL package on the table. We’ve seen the Hurricanes be a player in that space before and land some pretty big-time prospects, and the same happened here.
For the Buckeyes, it isn’t a death blow. They still have three offensive linemen committed to the class and are still in on several other high-profile options as things continue on for a class that is currently ranked as the third best in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Team rankings.
So, for now, despite not having a lot of momentum in this recruiting chase, Ohio State will chalk it up to a loss and move on looking to continue putting together one of the best classes in the country, as it seems to always do.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State finds out commitment decision from 5-star Jackson Cantwell
