Oregon Football Recruiting: 5-Star Offensive Tackle Jackson Cantwell Blown Away by Visit

The Oregon Ducks made a great first impression on one of the top players in the 2026 class.

Nixa's Jackson Cantwell seen here against Webb City on August 25, 2023. / Bruce E Stidham Special to the

The Oregon Ducks are on their way to making a big impression on the 2025 recruiting cycle.

However, they are also making their mark on the 2026 class as well.

Last week, the Ducks hosted five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell for two days on an unofficial visit to Eugene. And according to Cantwell himself, the Ducks made a fantastic impression during his trip.

“I got to see pretty much everything throughout the visit, including getting to see more in-depth of how Coach (A’lique) Terry and Coach (Dan) Lanning run the program, as well as getting to see all the facilities and getting to meet all of the people in the program,” Cantwell told On3's Chad Simmons. “It was a pretty cool experience, you see it on social media all the time, cool to get to see it in person. It’s pretty legit.”

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 /

One of the top players in the entire 2026 class, Cantwell currently ranks as the No. 4 overall player nationally, No. 2 offensive tackle, and the No. 1 player in the state of Missouri, per the On3 Industry Ranking.

Currently, he is seen as a Missouri lean, with Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Georgia also in the mix.

However, after what he experienced in Eugene with Lanning and Terry, the Ducks could now very well find themselves in the mix for the Nixa (MO) five-star.

“Getting to work with Coach Terry on some drills and getting to sharpen up some of my O-line stuff was one of the highlights for sure,” Cantwell said. “Getting to work with him was absolutely awesome, getting to learn some of the stuff they do, it was really enjoyable. Getting to meet with Coach Lanning was one of the highlights of it, obviously, he’s a great guy. I think he’s got the program turned in the right direction, I think they’ll be really successful under his lead.”

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