The Buckeyes coaching staff has been busy, from winning a national championship to traveling across the country recruiting. Recently, the Buckeyes were in Missouri to see one of their top priorities. That being 2026 five-star OT Jackson Cantwell, who Ryan Day saw the night after his TV appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Cantwell spoke to The Silver Bulletin about Ohio State in his recruitment and the visit from Day.
Cantwell is very high on the Buckeyes, “They are in contention. (I’m) narrowing top list and currently they are in that.” He also spoke about the visit from Coach Day and Frye, saying, “Well for them to come down and visit, being the first recruit for Day… Being from the Show Me State you know everyone says you are a high priority. That shows you are.” Cantwell also spoke about the development at Ohio State, “Yes I believe so if you look at how they navigated injuries down the stretch and came out on top shows they can develop the next up.” One of many things that stand out to Cantwell about Ohio State is, “They win.” Despite that, an official visit to Ohio State is in the works for Cantwell. He said, “Working through my schedule to figure that out.”
Thank you to @ryandaytime for coming to Nixa, MO before seeing any other schools! Always a pleasure to have him and @CoachJFrye come in. Means a lot that the National Champs came here first. #NSGB #OH pic.twitter.com/EGeKOxfv8l
— Jackson Cantwell (@jcantwell2499) January 28, 2025
Now he has a few schools heavily involved like Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Michigan, Oregon, and others. He is currently working on cutting his list down. Cantwell said, “Yeah working down list.” He also spoke about the final schools in the list, “Final schools are all quality schools hope to have it whittled down in the near future.” Cantwell would be one big commitment for any team in the country, but Ohio State is looking to finally get it done. The Buckeyes will have to have their new OL coach build a relationship with Cantwell, as Justin Frye has moved on to the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL.
Kaleb Longhurst, a Cincinnati, Ohio native, is a recruiting analyst that covers Ohio State. A trusted source for Buckeyes recruiting, Kaleb has experience at Mike Farrell Sports, but has blossomed at TSB. Kaleb is an up and coming writer who is just getting started. He plans to attend Coastal Carolina University in the fall of 2025.