This was a statement. It's been a couple years since Mario and Mirabal won a true recruiting battle. People were starting to whisper. Today was a reminder.
I've been following recruiting for 25 years, and it's hard to believe Miami went into Nixa, Missouri to land a five-star OT. It wasn't an emotional decision, either. Cantwell did his homework. He knew every starter on Miami's OL and their projected draft position. The Canes were the logical choice, and it's been a while since we could say that.
As a prospect, Cantwell is unique. He's 6'7 and 310 pounds at 16 years old. He has 33.5-inch arms, good testing numbers, and superhuman strength. For perspective, Jalen Rivers won states in the shotput with a throw of 54'4. Cantwell's personal record is 73'6. He also benches 500. In the classroom, he scored a 33 ACT as an eighth grader.
We know the bloodline is special. Both his parents are Olympic throwers. While Jackson is long and lean like a basketball player, his silver-medalist father is built like a professional wrestler. There is still plenty of room for him to add mass.
I expect Cantwell to compete for the RT job in 2026. He's raw as a pass blocker and struggled some at the Under Armour game. But he's such a diligent worker that I expect him to perfect his technique. He reminds me of some of the Iowa first rounders. Tall, lean, technical, and strong. The separator is his ability to move people with raw power.
Cantwell was set to commit to Miami in April before he pushed his date back. Miami has been telling people Georgia for the past week, but as I wrote this AM, something
felt off. The staff kept the decision under wraps until an hour before the announcement.
Miami will take this momentum and push even harder in recruiting. We just produced the #1 pick in the draft and landed the #1 player in the country. Now it's time to get the elite South Florida recruits in Derrek Cooper and Calvin Russell.
More than anything, I just want to congratule Jackson Cantwell for his decision. He could've chosen Georgia or Oregon and nobody would've blinked an eye. He chose to be different and become a Hurricane. His faith will be rewarded.
