5-star OT is not as high on Kirby Smart, Georgia

One of the top recruits on Georgia football's recruiting board is five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell. According to the 247Sports composite rankings, Cantwell is not only the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2026 recruiting class, but he is also the No. 1 overall player in the country as well.

So it goes without saying that this is a massive recruitment for Georgia and one that would change the trajectory of the program going forward.

Georgia so far is in the running for Cantwell as they made his top six schools that he announced a few weeks ago. But the most recent update we've seen in his recruitment is when Cantwell specifically stated that he is having trouble figuring out who his top school is right now. That however might no longer be the case after the most recent quote from Cantwell.

“I think my favorite head coach still to this day has been Dan Lanning. I think everyone can understand. Great guy."

Oregon may be the team to beat

While this quote from Cantwell does not specifically state that Oregon is his top school, it very well could be an indication that he is leaning towards the Ducks. Relationships with coaching staffs, specifically the head coach, is usually one of the biggest driving factors in any players recruitment, so it is not a good sign if he is coming out and saying his favorite head coach is Oregon's Dan Lanning and not Kirby Smart.

The good news is that Smart and Georgia will have plenty of time to change Cantwell's mind. He is expected to take official visits to all of his finalists later this summer, which obviously means he will spend a good amount of time in Athens with the coaching staff. So hopefully this visit will show Cantwell that Georgia is the best place for him and that Smart is a better coach than Lanning.