Nation's No. 1 recruit makes surprise announcement

It could be bad news for the Ducks, or merely a desire to proceed carefully in a lifetime decision.

Nixa, Missouri offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, the nation's No.1 recruit and top offensive tackle, announced Wednesday that he's adjusting his visit schedule and changing his commitment date.

Cantwell previously announced that he would make his college decision on April 30, shortly after coming home from a scheduled official visit to Oregon after the Spring Game this weekend.

In the incessant and obsessive tea-leaf-reading that accompanies the million dollar decisions of genetically gifted teenagers, the original plan heavily suggested a near slam-dunk advantage for the Ducks.

That changed when Cantwell announced new plans on social media yesterday.

Georgia, Oregon, Miami, and Ohio State are in Cantwell's final four. The moving back of his commitment date and the inclusion of additional visit to Georgia seems to imply a shift in his thinking, though it could just be a desire to be careful.

A 6-8, 320 left tackle with enormous power, Cantwell would draw top NIL money from any of his prospective schools. He's also a national champion in the shot put with a meet record at Hayward Field, and a 4.0 student.

He's made several trips to Georgia and has an excellent relationship with line coach Stacy Searels. Recently he had high praise for the development and track record of two FORMER Oregon coaches, Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal at Miami.

Cantwell said, "They have the best offensive line coaching duo in the country in (offensive line coach) Alex Mirabal and (head coach) Mario Cristobal. Then you add in the student life there, and it's not going to get a lot better than Miami, Florida. They have a great situation."

At other times the five-star 2026 prospect has praised A'lique Terry and Dan Lanning, calling Lanning his favorite coach, one he relates to easily with his Missouri roots. Over the weekend the UO staff will focus on showing Cantwell and his parents the development plan and their commitment; it won't be a hard-sell presentation.

As former Olympic athletes, both his father Christian, a silver medalist in the shot put in Beijing in 2008, and his mother Teri (Steer) Cantwell, a former NCAA shot put champion at SMU and track and field coach at Missouri, have guided him carefully through the high-pressure world of sports notoriety and big dreams.

Whatever the decision, college football fans from all these schools have to respect the care and transparency with which it was made.

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