5-star phenom Jackson Cantwell throws shot put 76 feet, smashes Missouri record, resets national mark for 4th time

Missouri high school star, Miami Hurricanes commit, No. 10 high school football recruit, sets new PR in shot put, breaks Missouri record, sets 2025 national high with monstrous toss of more than 76 feet.

Nixa junior Jackson Cantwell smashed the Missouri state record on Saturday in the Class 5 District 6 meet in Waynesville and reset the nation's longest 2025 throw for the fourth time with a toss of 76 feet. / Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK

It's long been speculated that nobody will ever touch Michael Carter's high school record in the shot put of 81-feet, 3.5 inches - a mark that has stood since 1979, according to MileSplit.

But the Dallas Jefferson (Texas) legend could have some competition if Nixa (Missouri) junior Jackson Cantwell continues throwing the shot put.

Not much can stop the 6-foot-8, 320-pound Miami Hurricanes football commit these days.

Competing in the MSHSAA Class 5 Sectional 3 track and field meet on Saturday at Waynesville High School (Waynesville, Missouri) with mild weather and a light breeze, the 6-foot-8, 320-pound phenom flung the shot put 76-feet, 5.25 inches (23.30 meters) and the discus 194-8 (59.33m) to win Sectional 3 in each event and punch his ticket to the MSHSAA Track and Field Championships May 30-31 in Jefferson City.

Cantwell personally reset his own 2025 national high in the shot put for the fourth time this season. The toss also marked a new PR for Cantwell, and reset his previous Missouri state record of 74-9.25 – an achievement he’d been openly saying he was trying to reach all season.

Now, he's in line to compete for another Class 5 state championship.

Back in 2020, Jackson Cantwell, then 12, competed in the AAU Junior Olympic Games at Satellite High School in Satellite Beach, Florida. Cantwell won the event with a national record throw of 56-7.50 and also set a national record in the discus in the same event. / Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via Imagn Content Services, LLC

He fell one centimeter shy of his PR last week in the Class 5 District 6 meet when he heaved the shot 74-9.24 (22.79m) - which allowed him to reset the 2025 national high for the third time. Saturday’s throw was just another in a long line of jaw-dropping moments in Cantwell’s young career.

Though his throw in the discus was shy of his 2025 state-best of 62.79m, which he set at the Ken Peek Invitational on Apr. 25, 2025, it was still plenty to win the event. He bested teammate, and fellow junior, Hayden Mays (178-9, 54.48m) and Joplin junior Neil Barstow (146.8, 44.70m).

Cantwell is the No. 10 overall 2026 high school football prospect, per 247Sports. He’d previously been No. 2 and fell from No. 3 to No. 10 the day after announcing his commitment to play college football for Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes. He is the son of 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics silver medalist Christian Cantwell.

Aug 3, 2012; London, United Kingdom; Christian Cantwell (USA) places fourth in the men's shot put at 69-6.25 (21.19m) during the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium. Cantwell is the father of Missouri state record holder, Nixa junior Jackson Cantwell. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Cantwell made a stir when he chose the Hurricanes over Oregon, Georgia and Ohio State, citing his love of the Hurricanes' staff and the belief in what they were building as part of his decision to choose "The U".

"I could have gone anywhere in the country, and I was blessed to be able to visit lots of great programs," Cantwell wrote in a column published by the Springfield News-Leader. "I met a lot of great people. But at the end of the day, the genuineness, the emphasis on my position, and the campus and academic prestige only helped me make my decision."

Five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell on a visit to Miami with Mario Cristobal and others. Cantwell chose Miami over Oregon, Georgia and Ohio State. / Courtesy of Jackson Cantwell

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