Jackson Cantwell’s Shocking Choice: What Ohio State’s Top Recruit Just Decided Will Change Everything

Sometimes, the biggest surprises in college football recruiting come when you least expect them—and this time, it’s Jackson Cantwell, the crown jewel offensive tackle in the 2026 class, who’s decided to chart a course away from Ohio State’s famed Scarlet and Gray. Despite finding his way into OSU’s final list, the buzz hinted early on that Cantwell’s future might not unfold along the Olentangy River. Sure enough, come commitment day, the Missouri standout flipped the script, pledging to the Miami Hurricanes over heavyweights like Ohio State, Georgia, and Oregon.

Now, making these choices is never just about a map or a mascot these days—Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals muddy the waters with big money offers shaking up the traditional recruiting battleground. Word on the street is Miami’s NIL package simply outshined the rest, reaffirming their growing status as a NIL powerhouse that keeps landing elite talent. For the Buckeyes? It stings, no doubt, but it’s far from a knockout punch. With three offensive linemen already committed and plenty of high-level targets still in the mix, Ohio State’s class remains among the nation’s elite, holding steady at third in the 247Sports Composite rankings. It’s a lesson in resilience—big misses happen, but the Buckeyes’ relentless pursuit of excellence rolls on.

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The country’s No. 1 offensive tackle in the class of 2026 will not be donning the Scarlet and Gray.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.Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

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.

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.

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.