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X-Factor in Jackson Cantwell's Miami Hurricanes Pledge Revealed by College Football Analyst

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nick Meyer | Last updated May 14, 2025 8:42 AM ET

The Miami Hurricanes' last college football national championship came in 2001, a long drought for a program in one of the United States' most talent rich states that is widely known as a longtime powerhouse.

The Hurricanes have struggled to make progress under coach Mario Cristobal, but secured a huge recruiting coup on Tuesday with the addition of the student athlete widely regarded as the nation's best player in the Class of 2026, offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell.

The Cantwell commitment came out of the blue for fans of big name schools like Georgia, Alabama and Michigan, but it made perfect sense for the Nixa, Missouri High School prodigy.

Cantwell's recruitment was given support by On3 analyst JD PicKell as he defended the lineman against attacks from fans who criticized him for choosing Miami because of NIL.

"It would be weird if NIL wasn't a factor for Jackson Cantwell as the #1 player in America," On3 analyst JD PicKell said in a video shared on X.

PicKell also intimated that the addition of Cantwell was secured because of the presence of coach Cristobal's offensive line coach Alex Mirabal, who is known throughout college football circles for helping to develop Penei Sewell at the University of Oregon.

"A lot of people are going to be very quick to be toxic and bitter," Pickell said.

"It would be ridiculous if he wasn't getting a pretty good chunk of change to go wherever he was going to college," PicKell added about Cantwell.

PicKell also mentioned Hurricanes offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa as a potential first round pick in next year's NFL draft, highlighting the Hurricanes' rising standing among offensive line prospects at the high school level.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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