College Football HQ

Nation’s No. 1 overall college football prospect predicted to make $1.5 million in freshman season

Rowan Fisher Shotton|
Nixa High School offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, the No. 1 ranked high school football recruit for the class of 2026, announced he will play football at Miami during a ceremony.
Nixa High School offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, the No. 1 ranked high school football recruit for the class of 2026, announced he will play football at Miami during a ceremony. | Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Miami (FL) Hurricanes

The current NIL market for established college players is booming, with On3’s tracker showing top valuations reaching well into the multi-million-dollar range.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning currently sits atop the list at $5.4 million, followed by Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith at $4.2 million and LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt at $4 million.

Notably, none of those players are freshmen; all are well-established figures who have already spent multiple seasons in the college football landscape.

On Wednesday, however, On3 reporter Pete Nakos reported that Miami offensive tackle signee Jackson Cantwell is “regarded as the highest-paid signee” in the 2026 class and is expected to make north of $1.5 million in his first year.

If accurate, that figure would place Cantwell among the highest-paid athletes in college sports, all as an 18-year-old true freshman.

Cantwell (Nixa High School, Nixa, Mo.) is a 6-foot-8, 325-pound five-star offensive tackle who has been regularly listed as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 recruiting cycle by industry composites.

As a junior, Cantwell recorded 158 pancake blocks and helped lead Nixa to a runner-up finish in Missouri Class 6, earning Springfield News-Leader Player of the Year honors, Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year recognition, and selection as one of three finalists for the national Gatorade Player of the Year award.

Cantwell is also an elite track and field thrower, having set a national sophomore shot-put mark with personal bests reported in the 74-foot range. He won multiple state shot-put titles and was a multi-time Gatorade Missouri Track & Field Player of the Year.

That two-sport dominance fueled an extensive recruitment that included more than 30 scholarship offers. Reported finalists included Georgia, Oregon, Michigan, Ohio State, Missouri, and others, with Cantwell taking multiple official visits before committing to Miami on May 13, 2025.

Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal with linebacker Wesley Bissainthe.
Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal with linebacker Wesley Bissainthe (31) against the Indiana Hoosiers | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

After securing the program’s first double-digit win season since 2017, Miami took another step forward in 2025 by reaching the College Football Playoff and advancing to the national championship game behind senior quarterback Carson Beck and a No. 5-ranked scoring defense.

That postseason success, combined with the Hurricanes’ upward momentum under head coach Mario Cristobal, has become a central pitch to elite recruits like Cantwell, alongside the NIL opportunities tied to representing a historic brand such as Miami.

As for Cristobal's program, landing the No. 1 overall prospect provides further proof that Miami’s on-field trajectory and NIL infrastructure can compete with the sport’s traditional blue-blood programs.

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Rowan Fisher
ROWAN FISHER SHOTTON

Rowan Fisher-Shotton is a versatile journalist known for sharp analysis, player-driven storytelling, and quick-turn coverage across CFB, CBB, the NBA, WNBA, and NFL. A Wilfrid Laurier alum and lifelong athlete, he’s written for FanSided, Pro Football Network, Athlon Sports, and Newsweek, tackling every beat with both a reporter’s edge and a player’s eye.

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