Jackson Cantwell received as many as 31 college football teams. He is rated as a five-star prospect and also the number-one player in the country, but he gets his strong athletic genetics from his parents. Both his parents were Olympic athletes; His father, Christian, was a former Olympic thrower (he won silver in shot put in the 2008 Beijing Games), whereas his mother competed at the 2000 Sydney Games. But since his mother, Teri, is from Crete, Nebraska, fans thought Nebraska had a chance of recruiting the top prospect. How wrong!

As towering as the 6’7, 300-pound Jackson Cantwell is, his shortlist only comprises six schools. You can call him an Avatar because he seems mostly interested in dealing with bluebloods.

The list, as reported by On3’s Hayes Fawcett, includes Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, Miami, and Cantwell’s in-state Missouri. The Nixa, MO native, has at least given Mizzou fans hope they could land someone who is a one-man pass protection. Some of the schools that got close but fell out at this cut-off are Nebraska and Alabama. However, the six schools that Cantwell is interested in will only hope that the prospect chooses their side.

For starters, the Georgia Bulldogs are the closest thing to an active dynasty in the sport right now. Even in a down year, Kirby Smart and his ‘Dawgs’ won the SEC. They have already got the 2nd-highest-rated recruiting class for 2025, and ‘26 is shaping up nicely, too. The Bulldogs are built for sustained success.

Speaking of success, Ohio State’s inclusion is not going to draw much surprise, if any. In fact, a few prominent voices in and around Columbus believe they’re leading this race. Buckeyes’ HC Ryan Day will breathe easy knowing he is into the next phase of this recruitment process but would’ve preferred a more linear path to Jackson Cantwell. Instead, he is tussling with two fellow B1G contemporaries.

Michigan and Oregon are both staring at the daunting task of overthrowing a National Champion, let alone one of the most dominant ones in recent memory. Adding a prospect of Jackson Cantwell’s ilk will help the cause. They’re seemingly going in the right direction, too. According to a ranking ‘Rivals’ released in the aftermath of this announcement, Dan Lanning and Sherrone Moore are #1 and #2 most likely to win this battle, respectively.

On the other hand, Miami is at #6. Mario Cristobal’s Miami is in the lesser ACC compared to the other five schools on the list. They don’t have a QB in place for 2026 either, so Jackson Cantwell cannot be sure who he’ll be protecting and whether they’ll be at the requisite level for his services.

At least Missouri has proximity in their favor, and they come in at #4. All in all, ‘Rivals’ released the rankings as:

• Oregon Ducks
• Michigan Wolverines
• Georgia Bulldogs
• Missouri Tigers
• Ohio State Buckeyes
• Miami Hurricanes

Now this is a very subjective ranking at this stage, but it does offer the perspective of a prominent CFB website. There is no smoke without fire, and Ryan Day will have to make strides. One recruiting analyst had his say on where the Buckeyes sit in this process for Jackson Cantwell.

Ryan Day’s biggest advantage in the race for Jackson Cantwell has now vanquished

Discussing Jackson Cantwell in relation to the Buckeyes over the On3 YouTube channel was Alex Gleitman of ‘Lettermen Row’. He claimed, “You asked me before, the impact of the national championship on the recruiting trail. I would say no position more than the offensive line is positively impacted by Ohio State’s run to a national title just because of what they were able to do and what Justin Frye showed from a developmental standpoint and a coaching standpoint.”

He went on to praise Justin Frye, their OL coach. But despite listing out everything that the team did right, Gleitman stated, “But I am still taking the field over Ohio State at Jackson Cantwell,” signaling that other programs had a better shot at recruiting Cantwell. But it doesn’t stop here.

Justin Fyre left the program for the NFL. That could decrease Ohio State’s chances further. Not knowing who your QB shall be is one thing but being uncertain about the coach might be a bridge too far for Cantwell. It’s not a surprise that Ohio State went from one of the leaders in this recruitment to a potential afterthought.

Athletic specimens like Jackson Cantwell don’t come around often. He has the potential to bring a falling program, i.e. Missouri back, as well as to keep one on top of the food chain, i.e. Ohio State, exactly where it is. It will be fascinating to witness how this plays out in the coming weeks and months. What do you think?