What comes next for Georgia after 5-star Jackson Cantwell commits to Miami

That was also on the menu for the 5-star OT prospect today, too. The 6-foot-8, 325-pound rising senior is taking his talents to the Atlantic Coast Conference to play for Miami.

While there were moments in the final weeks of his process that seemed like Georgia was going to be the choice, the Dawgs weren’t the final pick. This was a recruitment that seemed to have gone full-circle, as the Hurricanes were once seen as the team to beat in Cantwell’s recruitment after a four-day unofficial visit earlier this year.

There were also online reports from On3.com about two hours prior to his decision ceremony that had him trending to the Hurricanes. Those reports came true at a school ceremony held at Nixa High’s Aetos Performing Arts Center.

The 5-star OT had a final group that included Georgia, Miami, Ohio State and Oregon. Those were the hats that the Cantwell family purchased online recently prior to his ceremony.

On3’s Pete Nakos had reported earlier this month that Miami’s intended high bid for Cantwell was in the $2 million range per season. That financial aspect of this decision cannot be ignored here. The Hurricanes have acquired the reputation for being very competitive in these waters, too.

Cantwell was represented by South Florida super-agent Drew Rosenhaus. Rosenhaus is one of the most famous agents in the NFL circle, and he was at the table in negotiations with each of those schools.

This wasn’t an 11th-hour decision at the ceremony for Cantwell. DawgNation believes that the decision was made prior to the event.

Check out his junior tape below:

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Jackson Cantwell: Where do the Bulldogs go now after his decision?

The decision means the Dawgs miss out on an opportunity for a rare feat in the recruiting industry. They could have held the commitments from the nation’s Nos. 1 and 2 prospects of a single recruiting cycle.

That has never happened before for Georgia, despite the many recruiting summits for the program during the Kirby Smart era.

Cantwell’s decision to play for the Hurricanes will not be final until he signs in December, but he had told DawgNation that he was ready for his recruitment to be over with so he could focus on his senior season at Nixa High School.

Where do the Dawgs go from here at tackle in the 2026 class? It will prove rather difficult to replace Cantwell with a similar talent.

The newly-minted Hurricane commitment ranked as the nation’s No. 1 tackle for this class, but the other elite tackles are also trending to other programs.

The 2026 class presents a down year for OLs in the state of Georgia, but the Dawgs have been paying a lot of attention lately to Hapeville Charter 4-star Chris Booker.

The 6-foot-5, 285-pounder has great size, length and projectable ability, but he’s currently committed to Alabama.

That’s proof positive that recruiting elite OTs are pretty hard to come by. Georgia is also heavily recruiting 4-star OL Ekene Ogboko in North Carolina. He’s the younger brother of Georgia redshirt freshman DL Nnamdi Ogboko.

Ogboko has the Dawgs among his top schools and he is also planning an official visit to check out the program in June. He’s rated as the nation’s No. 5 IOL and the No. 65 overall prospect for the 247Sports Composite scale.

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SENTELL’S INTEL

(Check on the recent reads on Georgia football recruiting)