Imposing presence helped Nixa reach Class 6 state championship game last fall.
Top-ranked Class of 2026 prospect
Jackson Cantwell of
Nixa (Mo.)
announced his college decision Tuesday afternoon, committing to Miami over finalists Georgia, Ohio State and Oregon.
Standing at 6-foot-7.5 and weighing in at over 300 pounds, Cantwell has the prototypical build of a starting tackle in the NFL although he doesn't turn 17 years old until later this month.
Cantwell anchored an offensive line that paved the way for a backfield that rushed for 3,710 yards and 58 touchdowns in 14 games last season. The Eagle offense also completed 101 of 150 pass attempts for 1,899 yards and 25 additional scores.
Jackson Cantwell led Nixa to its first trip to the state title game since 2014. (Photo: David Smith)
According to statistics submitted to MaxPreps, Cantwell had over twice as many pancake blocks as his closest teammate as he recorded 158 pancakes on the season for the potent offense that averaged over 43 points per game.
Cantwell is the son of former United States Olympians Christian and Teri (Steer) Cantwell.
His father, Christian, is a five-time world champion and won a silver medal in the shot put at the 2008 Beijing games. In 2004, he had the top four shot put throws in the world. His mother, Sheri, participated in the 2000 Sydney games and was a two-time NCAA shot put champion at SMU.
The top-ranked football prospect is in the midst of his track
and field season where he owns the longest 12-pound shot put throw in
the nation by over three feet and ranks seventh nationally in the 1.6 kilo discus.
Cantwell marks the 10th commitment in the Class of 2026 recruiting class for the Hurricanes. He becomes the first five-star prospect in the class for the longtime ACC powerhouse.
