Are you paying close attention? While many thought the Miami Hurricanes stood a great chance at landing local product Mark Matthews out of Fort Lauderdale, the five-star offensive tackle from St. Thomas Aquinas ended up committing to Mike Elko's cause at Texas A&M. Yes, there almost certainly were financials involved, but it may not have been as pressing of an issue for Miami to land him either.
Although they could still try to get him to flip between now and when he does sign his NLI, keep in mind who is about to begin his freshman season at Miami. That would be five-star freshman Jackson Cantwell in the 2026 recruiting cycle. The Nixa, Missouri native committed to the Hurricanes almost a year ago to the date. He may be considerably out-of-state, but he has been locked in for a while now.
According to the 247Sports Composite, Cantwell was the No. 1 player from Missouri in last year's cycle. He was seen as the No. 2 offensive lineman in his class, as well as the No. 6 overall prospect nationally. Matthews may be the best prospect from Florida for 2027, as well as at his position group, but Miami seems to have already landed largely the same type of player the year prior with Cantwell.
At 6-foot-8 and 330 pounds, Cantwell is about to make his big presence felt for the Canes this year.
Jackson Cantwell's freshman season could offset losing Mark Matthews
What people tend to forget is Cantwell can help the Canes out this season, while it is going to take a year for Matthews to get onto any campus... College Station, Coral Gables, it does not matter the school. With Francis Mauigoa becoming a top-10 pick of the New York Giants, Cantwell will have some big shoes to fill with his gigantic frame. There is also this to consider when it comes to Miami...
Over the last several years, Miami has been a big spender in the NIL game. The Hurricanes do have an abundance of financial resources, but they already have some big-time money committed toward other players. Getting Darian Mensah and Cooper Barkate to come over from Duke was not cheap. Of course, there are other guys already on the roster who are getting paid adequately for their services.
What we may need to get our heads around a bit more is just because a program like Miami has a lot of money at its disposal does not mean that it has all the money in the world. Believe it or not, cash is still a finite resource. Therefore, we must allocate it accordingly and preferably, efficiently. We are building a team, not just a collection of all-stars. In time, maybe Matthews will have a change of heart?
For now, let's be more excited about who all is here, as opposed to who could have joined the party... Cantwell not only has a massive frame, but projects to be a first-round pick whenever that day comes he decides to turn pro. He has five stars next to his name for a reason. Of course, he has to go out and earn them. It starts by taking care of business in the lead-up to his first year with the Hurricanes.
While new may always be better to some, we must be appreciative that Cantwell is already on-board.
Add us as a preferred source on Google