No. 1 2026 Recruit Jackson Cantwell Loved Mario Cristobal During His Visit With Miami

The No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class Jackson Cantwell loved what Miami had to offer including Mario Cristobal in his unofficial visit with the Hurricanes.

Nixa Eagles Jackson Cantwell holds back a Joplin defender during the championship game of Class 6 District 5 football at Nixa on Friday, Nov. 11, 2023. | Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK

Spring practice and preparing for Pro Day will always take most head coaches attention away but when the No. 1 recruit is in your midst all attention turns to him.

Jackson Cantwell took his unofficial visit with the Miami Hurricanes during their fourth spring practice and loved what they had to offer.

"Their emphasis on offensive line and development stand out a lot," Cantwell said. "Their campus and general student life is great as well."

He was also asked about the Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal. Cristobal has been a huge selling point for the Canes during the past few classes and he continues to impress other recruits when they are taking their visit.

"It’s the biggest selling point, honestly," he said. "What (Cristobal) does for the O-line room can’t be understated."

The Hurricanes already have five commits but have dropped to the No. 23 class in the country according to 247 Sports. They also drop one spot to No. 13 on On3, so it is hard to judge where they stand but with more blue-chip recruits looking at Miami in a new light, that can easily change.

Class of 2026 Commitments

1. CB Camdin Portis, 6-foot, 165 lbs. - Charlotte, North Carolina (Committed 10/27/2024)
2. LB Jordan Campbell, 6-foot-2, 200 lbs. - Opa Locka, Florida (Committed 11/21/2023)
3. QB Dereon Coleman, 5-foot-11, 165 lbs. - Orlando, Florida (Committed 07/03/2024)
4. OT Ben Congdon, 6-foot-7, 270 lbs. - Mineral City, Ohio (Committed 3/3/2025)
5. CB, Jaelen Waters, 6-foot-2, 185 lbs. - Seffner, Florida (Committed 3/7/2025)

Check out the Miami football recruiting tracker for a full breakdown of the 2026 classes and more.

Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at justice.sandle111@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@Justice_News5.

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