What's Next on Recruiting Trail for Mizzou After Missing on Jackson Cantwell?

It may have come as a surprise when the Missouri Tigers were cut from the list of Tiger legacy and five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell's final four list of schools. The connections were there and so was the belief from the fanbase, but Missouri is now not an option for the top-ranked player nationally.

That then begs the question of, 'what's next?'

Well, when it comes to players, there is no shortage of options. The Tigers are in on a variety of offensive line prospects, many of whom hold the Tigers in high regard. There are no problems in that area. But missing out on a player that's so close to home, given the family ties to the university, might sting a little bit.

Cantwell becoming a Missouri Tiger was never going to be a lock, but Missouri's coaching staff has shown, over recent seasons, that they can out-recruit the best teams in the country. That will not end up being the case this time around.

At the end of the day, this miss stings because of the ties Cantwell has. It certainly isn't the end of the world and there should be trust in Missouri's staff to reload and upgrade at the position, but the facts are right in front of the Tigers. From the relationship Cantwell's parents have to the university, to Missouri's ability to recently keep top in-state talent home, it's reasonable for there to be a hint of frustration surrounding his decision.

There are other names Missouri will pursue and they will bring in multiple offensive linemen in the 2026 class. Here's a peek into some of those guys.

Which offensive line prospects are Mizzou targeting?

At the top of that list is four-star tackle Evan Goodwin from Bauxite, Arkansas. He's down to four schools, including Missouri, also featuring Mississippi State, Oklahoma State and SMU. Both Missouri and the Bulldogs are believed to be the schools at the top of his recruitment.

The list goes on and on from there. Three-star interior lineman Bennett Fraser has been to Columbia too many times to count and is a native of Kirksville, Missouri. He will take an official visit to Columbia later in the summer, from June 20-22 and is another that has the Tigers at the top of his list.

Interior linemen Noah Best and Brandon Anderson, both of whom are four-star recruits, will also visit Missouri during the summer for official visits. Their recruitments aren't so cut and clear like Fraser and Goodwin's are, but there is definitely interest between both parties with Anderson and Best.

Three-star offensive tackle Khalief Canty also has an official visit scheduled with Missouri from June 6-8.

There are other options as well that don't have visits scheduled. Four-star tackle John Turntine III is an example of that, with not much smoke around his recruitment so far. He does have larger programs competing for him, which will make being a finalist there more challenging. There are others as well that Missouri could go after, with the possibility that new ones pop up as the recruiting cycle goes on.

Below is the full list of offensive line prospects the Tigers are engaged with.

IOL Brandon Anderson, 6-foot-4, 320 lbs. - Kennesaw, Georgia
IOL Noah Best, 6-foot-3, 290 lbs. - Midlothian, Texas
IOL Da’Ron Parks, 6-foot-5, 285 lbs. - Sarasota, Florida
IOL Bennett Fraser, 6-foot-5, 260 lbs. - Kirksville, Missouri
OT Evan Goodwin, 6-foot-7, 325 lbs. - Bauxite, Arkansas
OT Ben Congdon, 6-foot-7, 270 lbs. - Zoar, Ohio
OT John Turntine III, 6-foot-3.5, 275 lbs. - Fort Worth, Texas
OT Pete Eglitis, 6-foot-7, 270 lbs. - Columbus, Ohio
OT Khalief Canty, 6-foot-5, 305 lbs. - Detroit, Michigan
OT Landry Brede, 6-foot-5, 280 lbs. - Mentor, Ohio

The Tigers have options, that's no secret. It won't ever make up for missing out on the best prospect and tackle in the country, but head coach Eli Drinkwitz will still be able to bring in high-level talent on his offensive front.

Which offensive line prospects are Mizzou targeting?

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