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Jackson Cantwell's NIL demands revealed after he snubbed Georgia for Miami

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Kelsey Kramer | Last updated May 16, 2025 12:32 AM ET

Five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell kept Georgia Bulldogs fans guessing for two weeks before ultimately committing to the Miami Hurricanes.

His surprising decision stunned many, but in the end, money played a big role.

According to Dawg Central's Graham Coffey, Cantwell was asking for a lot.

"From what I’ve been told, Cantwell wanted 4x the guaranteed Year 1 money that other top ranked 5* players have made at UGA UGA plays for titles in full stadiums and puts double digit guys in the draft every spring. Miami doesn’t. UGA gets discounts because of it, and they should," Graham reported on X/Twitter.

From what I’ve been told, Cantwell wanted 4x the guaranteed Year 1 money that other top ranked 5* players have made at UGA

UGA plays for titles in full stadiums and puts double digit guys in the draft every spring. Miami doesn’t. UGA gets discounts because of it, and they should https://t.co/5ctnp0I91G
— Graham Coffey (@GrahamCoffeyDC) May 13, 2025

Cantwell was looking for 2.5 million fully guaranteed per year, Graham added.

However, the top-ranked offensive tackle from Missouri attempted to shut down the NIL narratives surrounding his final decision.

“Well, I think my response to it is it’s not the same narrative people like Pete Nakos are pushing right now,” Cantwell said while calling out the On3 college insider, via Dawg Nation. “I think there’s just a false narrative that’s why I’m choosing. And I think that, I mean, I think relationships won out in Miami.”

Who knows what ultimately convinced Cantwell, but in this era of NIL deals, it's hard to believe a substantial paycheck didn’t play a major role.

“They (Miami) just recruited me the hardest. Plain and simple. They put the most effort into me, called me, and came to see me a lot, and it just felt genuine the whole way. And a lot of the players there seem to love playing for them as well,” Cantwell added. “The biggest takeaways from this process are that I built a lot of fantastic relationships with a lot of great people and coaches.”