Jackson Cantwell is making strides and Miami is putting him in a position for long-term success

There's no reason to be concerned about the future of Jackson Cantwell. The former five-star recruit had a lot of fanfare when he joined the Miami Hurricanes as part of the 2026 class, and it was going to be tough to live up to those expectations in any form. To outsiders, it looks like Cantwell has been a disappointment.

But Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal aren't going to sacrifice development with any player, especially one with Cantwell's upside. Playing on the offensive line is never easy and playing it to Cristobal's standards is even tougher. It's important that Cantwell gets the reps that he needs in his first year, but it's equally important that he shows growth with each outing.

Miami appears to have pivoted from Jackson Cantwell's guard experiment

Cristobal and Mirabal have a tried and true process of starting young talented linemen on the inside and kicking them to the outside as they gain experience. It worked for Francis Mauigoa, and it's working for Samson Okunlola, but Cantwell hasn't taken to guard in the same way and rather than force it, the coaches have smartly decided to go another route.

Cantwell had 16 snaps against Central Michigan and played almost exclusively at tackle. He provides more value to Miami playing tackle on the second team than trying to pigeonhole him at guard. Cantwell also took part in some jumbo packages and different alignments that should still allow him to see the field as the rotation tightens up down the stretch. 

The expectations for Cantwell were completely unrealistic. Anyone who thought an 18-year-old was going to step in and play left tackle for a championship-caliber team right out the gate is not being serious. Do you realize how much money Miami has invested in Darian Mensah? They are going to protect his blind side with their best offensive lineman, which is Okunlola. 

Cantwell came into Coral Gables and worked out on the scout team during the playoff run, and he got some reps against Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor. That's nice, but it's a snapshot. Yes, he's a mountain of a young man at 6-foot-8, 330 pounds and he made the freaks list. That's nice, but it doesn't determine his growth as a player. 

Offensive line play is something that Cristobal takes very seriously. The fact that they've already made some adjustments to Cantwell's development lets us know that he is committed to making this work. Cantwell's attitude and understanding of this is also a great sign. It could be easy to express frustration when Ben Congdon, another true freshman, is getting three times the snap count, but Congdon is far more comfortable playing guard and that's where the greater opportunity for snaps are.

This rotation is going to tighten up and when it does, Cantwell is going to be the top backup at both tackles. He'll get his chances and, if Week 4 was any indication, he'll take full advantage of them in preparation of becoming a full-time starter. 

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