The No. 1 recruit in the country broke the hearts of Georgia football fans after he committed to Miami (FL) over Georgia on Tuesday. Jackson Cantwell was thought to be trending to UGA in the final days of his recruitment, but that quickly changed in a hurry for one big reason.
NIL money.
Cantwell however is refusing to admit that NIL money was a driving factor in his recruitment. Cantwell points towards Miami's coaching staff and their success at developing offensive linemen, but college football fans aren't buying that. Sure he may like those things about the Hurricanes, but reports circulated that Miami increased their offer by $500 thousand at the last second, so it's hard to think that isn't what led Cantwell to change his mind.
This narrative that NIL was a big factor in Cantwell's recruitment has been thrown around for a few weeks leading into his commitment, with On3's Pete Nakos leading the charge. However, Cantwell was so against this narrative that he publicly called him out for spreading this "false narrative."
"Well, I think my response to it is that it’s not the same narrative that people like Pete Nakos are pushing right now," Cantwell said via Dawgnation. "I think there’s just a false narrative that that’s why I’m choosing (Miami)."
Here is the full statement from Cantwell on the subject immediately after committing to Miami.
Jackson Cantwell should just admit it was for the money
There really is nothing wrong with Cantwell choosing Miami for the money. Most college football fans would likely make the same decision if they were offered a $500 thousand raise to move to a company as well.
But when thinking about this more, fans would probably be more accepting of this decision if Cantwell just came out said that the money was a big factor in his decision. He doesn't need to say it was the only thing impacting his decision (because it likely wasn't), but admitting his NIL offer impacted his final decision likely would make fans more alright with it.
The fact that he is just dancing around this fact and flat out denying it when people know it's true just rubs people the wrong way.
Regardless, Cantwell made his decision and that decision is final. There is always a chance things could change before signing day in December, but as it stands today the Bulldogs will not be adding Cantwell to their 2026 recruiting class.