Miami is seemingly willing to spend whatever it takes to land some of the top recruits in college football. The Hurricanes are prepared to pay a large amount of NIL money to Jackson Cantwell.
Their offer reportedly hovers around $2 million for just his freshman year!
Cantwell, a five-star prospect in the college football recruiting Class of 2026, ranks as the No. 1 offensive tackle in the country and a top-three player overall. He is the son of two former Olympians. Christian Cantwell won the silver medal in shot put at the Beijing Olympics. Teri Cantwell was an NCAA champion.
Jackson is currently listed at 6-foot-7.5, 300 pounds as he finishes his junior year of high school. 31 schools offered him a scholarship. Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Miami and Alabama seem to be the frontrunners for his commitment. The Hurricanes are sparing no expense in the recruiting process!
According to Pete Nakos, Mario Cristobal and his program’s financial backers put a deal on the table worth approximately $2,000,000. That is to play just one single season in Coral Gables.
This report comes right after Will Howard exposed Miami for using NIL money as its primary recruiting tool. The Canes are dropping bags!
If Jackson Cantwell accepts the offer (big if!), he will be free to renegotiate his contract at the end of next season. This is the reality of the NIL era. Players are free agents after every year. They can hit the transfer portal and get paid more money elsewhere.
Obviously, Miami would like to get Cantwell in the system and keep him there for all three or four years of his college football career. But that is only possible if he commits in the first place.
The 2026 recruiting cycle will not officially close until the middle of February. Jackson Cantwell does not need to make a decision for at least eight months. He could commit before then, but nothing is official until he signs the dotted line during the Early Signing Period in December— at the earliest. This is going to be a wild ride. Will other programs increase their offers to match the Hurricanes? Do they not think he is worth that much money? Is Cantwell most interested in money or the best fit? We’ll see…