Jackson Cantwell is following the blueprint that brings nothing but upside for him and Miami

The camp chatter about Jackson Cantwell has been a little quieter than expected, but don't let that distract you from the fact that the Miami Hurricanes freshman is an athletic freak.

Bruce Feldman from The Athletic released his annual list of college football "freaks" and Cantwell is No. 4 on the list, making him the highest-rated true freshman and offensive lineman on the list of 101 players that have eye-popping athletic traits.

READ MORE: ESPN rankings confirm that Jackson Cantwell will be as good as advertised

Feldman writes:

"The younger Cantwell’s power and explosiveness are mind-blowing. At 15, he bench pressed 405 pounds for four reps, vertical jumped 31 inches and broad jumped 8-10 — at 6-8, 300 pounds. At 16, he bench pressed 505 pounds and did a close-grip bench with 475."

Jackson Cantwell will turn his freakish ability into long-term football success

Cantwell was a state champion in the shot put in Missouri, and in 2024, he set a national record for sophomores in the event.  Feldman pulled a video of one of his amazing throws and look how lean Cantwell is for being 6-foot-7, 300-plus pounds. Cantwell is a freak and a hoss!

He comes from a great athletic lineage with his father, Christian, who was a multi-time world champion and took silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Assuming football will work out long term for Jackson Cantwell, he still may continue to hone his craft in the shot put and try to compete at the Olympic level.

But this is about football, and Cantwell is expected to be Miami's left tackle of the future. Feldman notes that he's expected to be the left tackle to open the season, but that appears less likely now that redshirt junior Samson Okunlola, a former five-star prospect, has claimed the left tackle spot early in training camp.

READ MORE: 3 things to watch for as Miami begins the second week of training camp

That might be the best thing for Cantwell, and it fits the general process that Alex Mirabal likes, which is to work with talented young players from the inside to the outside. It's the process that Okunlola has gone through, and he appears to be much better for it. Cantwell is likely to be in the mix for the starting five and might be on the field for the first offensive snap of the season against Stanford, but I expect it will be at left guard rather than tackle. 

For the long-term, it's probably better for Cantwell to be a spot where he can get comfortable first before having the responsibility of protecting the blind side. It's not a question of his physical abilities, but rather his readiness and Mirabal's concern about putting too much on the freshman right away.

It helps that Miami has plenty of capable offensive linemen and the guidance of Mirabal and Mario Cristobal to make sure things up front are always as good as possible. That allows Cantwell time to grow and get the full potential out of his freak-ish ability. 

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