The stunning way that Mario Cristobal, Miami landed nation's No. 1 recruit

Miami reportedly had a massive NIL offer on the table, which certainly helped the Hurricanes, but head coach Mario Cristobal can thank his and his staff's ability to make connections with players for this win.

In fact, Cantwell specifically highlighted his relationships with Cristobal and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal after he made the announcement that he was committing to Miami.

"Relationships won out in the end," Cantwell said, according to Gaby Urrutia of 247Sports. "I know Coach Mirabal and Coach Cristobal. They've spent so much time recruiting me over the past year. They've spent so much time checking in with me. They text me every day. We've talked so much about offensive line development, looked at what my potential is there at the U. Their history with guys like Penei Sewell, Francis Mauigoa and some of those guys of recent — I just feel like it's a place that I can develop and do something great. Even if football weren't to go my way, I like Coral Gables a lot, I like the university and I would love to go study there as well."

Throw in an NIL package that is apparently worth more than $2 million over multiple years, and it seems like Miami presented the big Missouri offensive tackle a perfect opportunity.

Without a doubt, Cantwell will go down as one of the biggest (literally and figuratively) Miami commitments in a while. According to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, he's the top overall recruit in the 2026 cycle.

Throw in the fact that Miami beat out the likes of Oregon, Georgia and Ohio State for his commitment, and this is as big as it gets for the Hurricanes.