Woah! Looks like college football fans can set for an interesting tug-of-war. After all, it’s the chase for 5-star Jackson Cantwell, folks! Right now, Cantwell is sitting with a pen and paper charting out his visits in the upcoming days. He is now going to be busy in the upcoming months of May and June. Meanwhile, this would leave his suitors – Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, and others to bite off their nails in excitement. 

When it’s the No.1 player in the 2026 class, the fight is bound to be neck-to-neck. Now, come on, we have all seen that for Bryce Underwood, isn’t it? The Nixa High School offensive tackle is about to go on a series of official visits. And the list? Well, it’s too long. On May 9, Cantwell will visit Miami, Mizzou on May 31. Then comes June 13th when Cantwell will set foot in Ann Arbor and Eugene on June 20. But looks like Cantwell already has a favorite…

Having grown up on the University of Missouri campus, the Tigers apparently have a clear-cut preference for Mission Cantwell. But here he dished out a bamboozler. In an interview with 247Sports, he confessed how Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines hold a special place in his heart. Cantwell sounded confident while saying, “A lot of the reasons I like Ann Arbor is they are producing O-linemen year and year now. If you look at the draft portal from last year-there were six O-linemen.” Now this is not the first time that Cantwell will be visiting Michigan.

 Meanwhile, Moore has already got two five-star offensive tackles in the 2025 class – Andrew Babalola and Ty Haywood. That’s how Cantwell is mesmerized with the “culture” in Ann Arbor. As he stated, “And Sherrone Moore being the head coach and the O-line guys is really a good thing to have, they are the best lot in it.” Notably, we have heard Cantwell praising Michigan on many occasions.

“I’d say their player development program and how in-depth their scheme talk with me was surprised me,” He had said just days back. “Just how in-depth Coach Newsome went was so surprising. I have’t really gotten to do that much at a lot of other schools.” However, how will the young chap fit into the Wolverines’ puzzle?

Well, Moore and Co. would love to add Cantwell to their already young and high-spirited offensive line. In that case, the 5-star will be joining Andrew Sprague, Blake Frazier, Ben Roebuck, and Jake Guarnera. There are also four-star linemen Avery Gach and Kaden Strayhorn. While Michigan holds the top position in Cantwell’s list, another program too might come off as a tough competitor.

The lucky and the unlucky ones in Mission Jackson Cantwell

Just like Moore, Cantwell has been the Ducks’ HC Dan Lanning’s biggest fan. Now for so long, Oregon had a hard time recruiting players from the south. The area was particularly dominated by the SEC and Big 12. However, Lanning here comes off as a lucky charm, carrying his ties to the South with himself. Maybe that’s what worked in wooing Cantwell. As he said, “I think my favorite head coach still to this day has been Dan Lanning. I think everyone can understand. Great guy. Missouri guy.” Now let’s take a look at the programs that could not make the cut in Cantwell’s list of visits.

Nebraska Cornhuskers, LSU Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Texas A&M Aggies, and USC Trojans make up the list of the programs that tried for Cantwell. With this, they might be caught up with some heavy FOMO feels. After all, the craze for Cantwell has been real. He did not just restrict himself to the football sport. In 2023-2024, he won the Gatorade Missouri Boys Track & Field Player of the Year for his performance in the shot put. This might not be surprising for fans who have been following Cantwell closely and his family legacy. 

Jackson Cantwell is the son of the five-time shot put world champion, Christian Cantwell, who also won the medal in the shot put in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His mother, Terri Cantwell also participated in the Syndey Olympics. She also is a two-time NCAA shot put champion at Southern Methodist. Cantwell’s college choice isn’t just about football — it’s about honoring the family name.