It’s been a roller coaster ride for Oregon Duck fans in the recruitment of 5-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, the No. 1 ranked prospect in the 2026 class. Dan Lanning and the Ducks have been among the biggest contenders in his recruitment from the very start and, at times — as recently as a few days ago — have been considered the favorites to land the elite pass-blocker.
After Cantwell rescheduled his commitment to April 30, just a few days after planning to be in Eugene for the annual spring game, it seemed as if the Ducks were the team to beat. However, that might have changed a bit on Wednesday when Cantwell announced that he was pushing his commitment back to May 13 and planning a visit to the Georgia Bulldogs in the meantime.
On Thursday, his recruitment got another update, with On3’s Steve Wiltfong placing an expert prediction for Cantwell to commit to Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs.
Georgia has long been a threat in this recruitment, but the feeling was Oregon and Miami were ahead of them over the past few weeks. However, Smart was able to convince Cantwell to push back his commitment and take one more trip to Athens before all is said and done, getting the last word in.
Cantwell is expected in Eugene this week to take an official visit to Oregon and check out the Ducks’ annual spring game. Lanning and his staff will have an opportunity to sway Cantwell once again and try to win his commitment.
It will be fascinating to watch how this plays out over the next couple of weeks as the 6-foot-7, 300-pound pass-blocker takes his last couple of visits, hears the final pitches from all sides, and ultimately makes a decision. While the Ducks may not be considered the “leaders” publicly right now, they certainly won’t go down without a fight.
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