Nixa’s Jackson Cantwell Narrows Down College Choices

In Nixa, Missouri, high school football star Jackson Cantwell is making headlines as he has officially narrowed his college recruitment list to six schools. The top recruit in the 2026 high school football class, Cantwell announced his final choices through On3 after previously narrowing his selections from 14 programs ahead of his junior season. The five-star player led the Nixa Eagles to a strong finish as the Class 6 runner-up.

In alphabetical order, Cantwell’s final six schools are Georgia, Michigan, Miami (Florida), Missouri, Ohio State, and Oregon. Over recent weeks, multiple head coaches and their assistants have made visits to meet with him, his family, and his Eagles coach, John Perry. Some of the notable head coaches who dropped by include Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Miami’s Mario Cristobal, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Michigan’s Sherrone Moore, and Oregon’s Dan Lanning.

Cantwell also made a recent visit to the University of Missouri, where he witnessed his father, Christian Cantwell, a former Tigers track and field star and Olympic silver medalist, earn recognition during a basketball game. They were seen together with Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz.

The talented lineman has expressed a desire to commit to a college before his senior season begins this fall. Last year, Cantwell was named the News-Leader’s 2024 Player of the Year after an outstanding performance, where he pancaked 158 players. He also emerged as one of three finalists for the Gatorade National Player of the Year honor. The Eagles demonstrated their strength with a total rushing yardage of 3,710 in 14 games against tough Class 5 and 6 opponents. Their best performance came during a state semifinal win over Kirkwood, where they rushed for an impressive 457 total yards and scored six touchdowns.