Ohio State Buckeyes Make 5-Star Offensive Tackle's Top 14 Schools

2026 five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell is narrowing his list of schools. After cutting the options down to 14, the Ohio State Buckeyes remain in the mix for his services.

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 /

On Thursday, the Ohio State Buckeyes learned that they are still among the top teams on a major 2026 recruit's list.

Jackson Cantwell is a five-star offensive tackle from Nixa, Missouri and also happens to be the No. 4 overall prospect in his recruiting class according to On3. At 6'8" and 305 pounds, Cantwell has elite size and has been able to use that size to his advantage at the high school level.

According to 247 Sports, Cantwell currently holds 29 division one offers. On Thursday, he decided to trim his list of schools he would like to further evaluate and pursue to 14. Hayes Fawcett, national recruiting expert for On3, released the graphic with the logos of all 14 schools.

NEWS: Five-Star OT Jackson Cantwell is down to 1️⃣4️⃣ Schools, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’8 305 OT from Nixa, MO is ranked as the No. 4 Recruit in the ‘26 Class (per On3)

Where Should He Go?👇🏽https://t.co/5y15HopxZo pic.twitter.com/YmqpiFELKP

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 18, 2024

Ohio State making the cut is great news for Ohio State fans and the program. Here are the other 13 schools to make the still lengthy list.

• LSU Tigers
• Michigan Wolverines
• Florida Gators
• Nebraska Cornhuskers
• Missouri Tigers
• Miami Hurricanes
• Alabama Crimson Tide
• Texas A&M Aggies
• USC Trojans
• Georgia Bulldogs
• Oregon Ducks
• Arkansas Razorbacks
• Ole Miss Rebels

Eight of the 14 schools hail from the SEC, while five come from the Big Ten. The Miami Hurricanes are the lone team not from either of the two conferences.

Over time, Cantwell's list will probably get officially cut down several times. As long as the Buckeyes can remain in the hunt for as long as possible, that is the ultimate goal from a recruiting standpoint.

Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye is looking for some major recruiting wins in the near future. He has a shot at helping the Buckeyes land the top offensive lineman in the 2025 class with David Sanders Jr. and could then follow that up with the top offensive lineman in 2026 with Cantwell.

A lot will need to fall into place in order for this to happen but that doesn't mean that it can't.