Alabama football continues to be in the mix for Jackson Cantwell as other programs from across the country continue to go after him as well.
Cantwell is a product of Nixa High School in Missouri. He is a consensus 2026 five-star prospect and is the undisputed No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in his respective class.
The Crimson Tide have look like a major contender in his recruitment for months.
Media members caught up with Cantwell at the Under Armor All-America Game’s Media Day, and he spoke highly of Alabama and his confidence in Kalen DeBoer.
“They are a very good football team,” Cantwell said. “There’s some question about if they could have made it in the playoffs or not, and with one game going right for them, they probably would have made it in with a pretty high seed. They’re a team that’s been a blue blood for a while now. I think Kalen Deboer does a fantastic job. I think he gets over-criticized a bunch because he’s not Nick Saban, but you don’t have to be Nick Saban to be a great football coach. He is a proven winner. He’s won everywhere he’s been. He’s won at D3. He’s one at D1 FCS. He’s won at Power Five. He’s the guy that we’ll go out there and win football games.”
Alabama’s offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic is playing a major role in the Tide’s push for Cantwell. The pair shares a few different ties.
“We had some ties from Michigan State, but I just didn’t talk to them as much, but when he got to Bama, we already had that connection, so it helped out a lot,” said Cantwell. “He went to Missouri State, 20 minutes for me, so he knows my area really well. It’s kind of cool to get to share that.”
Alabama last hosted Williams during the 2024 season when it defeated Missouri. He left feeling good about where Alabama stood.
“Bama is a great program with a great atmosphere that can win any given Saturday and has a great coaching staff that can develop,” Cantwell said.
The massive 6-foot-7 offensive lineman is agile and explosive as a tackle.
Watch Jackson Cantwell Highlights Below:
Cantwell is working on narrowing down his recruitment in the future.
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Justin Smith is the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
