Sports

Nation’s Top College Football Recruit Slides Down Rankings Hours After Choosing Miami Over Georgia

#Miami Hurricanes
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Jackson Cantwell commits to Miami

© Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images


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The Miami football team picked up a huge commitment from five-star offensive lineman Jackson Cantwell this week. The 325-pound tackle was considered the nation’s top overall player at the time of that pledge.

Less than 24 hours later, he experienced a significant drop in the 247 Sports recruiting rankings. It’s turned many Hurricanes fans into conspiracy theorists.

Cantwell’s recruitment was one with eyes on it due to that status as a top prospect. He appeared to be a Georgia lean before Miami picked up momentum late in the process.

Lucrative NIL offers quickly became a topic of conversation, with the ‘Canes reportedly offering upwards of $2 million for his first season on campus. He’s set to receive a massive paycheck at his future school.

Still, Cantwell insists that money wasn’t the motivator in his recruitment. Relationships won out, as did Mario Cristobal’s history of success with developing offensive linemen.

Jackson Cantwell was the nation’s No. 1 recruit.

He still is depending on which recruiting site you follow. The child of two Olympian athletes, he boasts size, athleticism, and production on the football field.

Rivals believes he’s the best player in the 2026 high school class. He tops On3 Sports‘ list, too. He’d previously been rated as the No. 3 overall player at 247 Sports, with a No. 1 overall grade in the site’s composite rankings, which pool together ratings from the four major recruiting sites.

The day after his commitment, though, he fell all the way to No. 10 in those 247 Sports rankings and behind two other players at his position. Miami fans believe it had everything to do with his choosing the ‘Canes over Georgia.

“Absolutely shameless,” one online follower said. “Cantwell commits to Miami as the top prospect in the country and 18 hours later they drop him nine spots.”

“Like Clockwork,” wrote another.

The commitment theory is one that’s been speculated since the start of the recruiting rankings era. Many believe players are rewarded for choosing top programs, and penalized when they don’t. For some, the drops seem to happen more frequently than others.

Offer sheets play a role in ratings. It’s impossible to see every single high school player in America. In most cases, schools won’t waste a scholarship offer on a player without talent and potential, giving scouts a way of gauging future outlook.

An intentional rise/fall in the rankings based solely on school, though, is hard to prove. In most cases, the ratings updates are previously scheduled. They don’t occur after each pledge. Players move regardless of commitment status, and in many cases, it doesn’t really matter.

A 10-spot slip won’t impact Jackson Cantwell’s future. He’s still considered one of the top players in the country and can prove it on the field with Miami.

It does, however, have an effect on the perception of a program, which is why fans take the movement so personally. Everyone wants to have the best player or best class.

Andrew Ivins, scouting director at 247 Sports, opened up on Cantwell’s fall.

“I don’t know if he is as for-sure of a thing as he’s been made out to be. With that being said, he had best in breed physical type of features.”

-Andrew Ivins

With an entire high school season of football left to play before the offensive lineman makes the move to Coral Gables, Cantwell has time to move back up the list. He’ll look to close strong before suiting up for the Hurricanes in 2026.