Miami and Mario Cristobal stay in crowded race for No. 1 2028 offensive tackle

Five-star offensive tackle Antijuan "Shaq" Wilkes Jr. has cut his recruitment to 12 schools. Wilkes comes in at 6-foot-7 and 280 pounds, and Rivals ranks the Detroit standout as the No. 6 overall prospect and No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2028 Rivals300.

ESPN's Junior 300 ranking has him as the No. 12 overall player, and the 247Sports Composite has him as a top-30 national prospect and the No. 2 offensive tackle.

Miami made the cut along with Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Oregon.

Antijuan Wilkes trims list to 12 schools with Miami still in the race

Michigan and Michigan State are the schools closest to Wilkes as he plays less than an hour from Ann Arbor and about 75 miles from East Lansing. Rivals has Michigan and Michigan State as the top two schools in the RPM. Michigan has hosted him four times, while Michigan State has hosted him three times.

The Hurricanes have not been shy about chasing national names at tackle, and Wilkes is the type of player who belongs near the top of any board.

5-star OL signed by Miami under Mario Cristobal

Wilkes' interest in Miami is familiar territory for Cristobal, who has already signed five-star offensive linemen Francis Mauigoa, Samson Okunlola and Jackson Cantwell since taking over the program in 2022.

• Francis Mauigoa, 2023 class, offensive tackle: Consensus five-star signee from IMG Academy. He was the No. 8 overall player in the 247Sports Composite and ranked as the No. 1 offensive tackle nationally by ESPN and 247Sports. 
• Samson Okunlola, 2023 class, offensive tackle: Five-star signee from Thayer Academy in Massachusetts. He committed to Miami in December of 2022.
• Jackson Cantwell, 2026 class, offensive tackle: Five-star signee from Nixa, Missouri. He was named the 2025-26 Gatorade National Player of the Year.

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