ESPN just dropped its top-100 newcomers for the upcoming college football season, and it's filled with Miami Hurricanes, as it should be. But it's not new quarterback Darian Mensah (No. 4) or new edge rusher Damon Wilson II (No. 9) that caught my attention, it's the guy at No. 15 and the second freshman on this list —offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell.
Yes, a true freshman tackle made a list of 100 players that were mostly high-level transfers. Cantwell is the second highest-rated freshman, one spot behind Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis, which should confirm position bias, and the second highest-rated offensive tackle regardless of class, behind Jordan Seaton, who was a freshman All-American and an All-Big 12 performer at Colorado before transferring to LSU.
Cantwell was the top-rated offensive lineman in the 2026 recruiting class and the centerpiece for what Mario Cristobal wants on his line. He is every bit of 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds, and he's going to start at one of the tackle positions for the Hurricanes this fall, not simply because he was a top recruit, but because he's that good.
Jackson Cantwell will be starting on Sunday’s 🔥💪 @jcantwell2499 pic.twitter.com/k1z8yB9f4X
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) April 12, 2026
Jackson Cantwell places No. 15 on ESPN's top-100 newcomers list
Some of the fanfare around Cantwell is of his own doing. He started practicing with the Hurricanes in late December while they were prepping for a postseason run that took them to the CFP Championship Game. And Cristobal didn't wait long to see what kind of competitor Cantwell was because he threw the 17-year-old right into the fire with reps against All-Americans and eventual NFL first-round picks Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor. Did he get whipped quite a few times? Absolutely, but Bain and Mesidor whipped everyone last season. But Cantwell didn't back down and kept coming back for more. Let me repeat that Cantwell was 17 years old (and just turned 18 last week...Happy Birthday!). In comparison, Mesidor just turned 25 in April!
“You're going to sink, or you're going to swim, right? You're either going to step up to the plate and deliver or fall back, and I try my hardest to go out there and compete every single day," Cantwell said. "I’ve taken a lot of lumps, but I feel like I’m giving them back every single time I take one. I'm just trying to fight back and keep applying pressure to the elite defensive guys we have."
When you hear Cantwell speak, he doesn't sound like he's barely old enough to drive. He is the type of player that Cristobal goes crazy over. He's big, he's tough, he's smart, and he plays with urgency. Cantwell knows the assignment. He knows that the Hurricanes are in a championship window, and he wants to make sure that window stays open for the 3–4 years he's in Coral Gables and beyond.
Often, the head coach will ask fans to be patient with the true freshmen because college football is an adjustment and even the best guys may need a year or two of seasoning. But Cantwell isn't a normal freshman. As he continues to grow and develop he still may take a few more lumps, but he's going to give many more.
Add us as a preferred source on Google