Miami Signee Named Finalist for Gatorade National Football Player of the Year
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The Miami Hurricanes have done a wonderful job over the past few seasons of landing some of the top players in the country, but this year might be their best. The Hurricanes have landed the 2024 National Football Player of the Year, and for a second year in a row, Jackson Cantwell has been named a finalist again.
Gatorade also announced Cantwell of Nixa High School is the 2025-26 Gatorade Missouri Football Player of the Year.
Not only is he going to be one of the best players to ever come out of the orange and green, but Cantwell is also projected to be a day one starter with the Canes. Head coach Mario Cristobal loves him and is excited to work with him even closely now.
Mario Cristobal on Cantwell and Signing Him...
"He is 6-feet-7 and 328 pounds. He has the record for the shootout at 76 feet. He shattered his dad's record and both his parents are Olympians. I think he had 400 pancakes in his high school career and they are not gentle pancakes. They get put through the ground and beyond. He is beyond his years in football IQ and regular IQ. He is an exceptional student and relentless competitor.
His work ethic is through the roof. When you look at big guys, you look for balance and body control. He has that and then some. His wingspan is in the neighborhood of 84 inches, which is elite. His numbers are that of an NFL combine offensive lineman. His best football is ahead of him and he is very eager to get right to it. He is the Gatorade player of the year and the Gatorade track athlete of the year. He is just getting started."
"We have been lucky. We have been fortunate enough to work with the best of the best. I should mention congratulations to Francis, who is the winner of the Jacobs trophy which is for the best blocker in the ACC. Malachi won the rookie of the year and offensive rookie of the year. It starts up front. If you are solidified in the trenches, you will have a chance to play high level football. It is not just Jackson, it is the entire offensive line class.
This is as excited as I have been about a group of offensive linemen as I have ever been. They are all the same type of DNA. They are made of the right stuff. They are all legitimate workers and grinders. They are tough guys and understand ball. They understand the intangibles that come with being a great football player, a great teammate, and a champion. A lot of them are playing or have played for titles before. Coming in, they are as talented or more talented as any class that we have had."
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.