Michigan football is emerging as a contender for elite 2026 OT

Five-star Jackson Cantwell is the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2026 recruiting class and on Thursday, he included Michigan football in his list of top 14 teams.

NEWS: Five-Star OT Jackson Cantwell is down to 1️⃣4️⃣ Schools, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’8 305 OT from Nixa, MO is ranked as the No. 4 Recruit in the ‘26 Class (per On3)

Where Should He Go?👇🏽https://t.co/5y15HopxZo pic.twitter.com/YmqpiFELKP

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 18, 2024

That seems like a big number. Yet, the 6-foot-7, 300-pound offensive tackle has plenty of time before signing day. A top 14 might not make Michigan football fans feel like the Wolverines are a contender for the Nixa, Missouri prospect who is the No. 1 offensive tackle in 2026 according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.

Michigan football is in the mix for 5-star Jackson Cantwell

According to Tom Loy of 247 Sports, U-M is a team to watch among those 14 contenders. Cantwell said previously that Michigan football was one of the programs recruiting him the hardest. There are a few others such as Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas, Alabama, and Ohio State that Loy said to watch in this recruitment.

To be honest, narrowing things down to a top 14 isn’t really narrowing things down. However, it’s better to be among the top 14 teams than not. Michigan football has been trending up with five-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola in the 2025 class.

Babalola is expected to decide sometime in August. He might be the first five-star commitment for the Wolverines since Will Johnson, but if Michigan misses on Babalola, it feels like they’ll have a shot with Cantwell, although he’s going to be a really tough pull.

Nebraska is another team Loy said to watch. But Michigan fans will and should be most worried about Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, and Ohio State. Yet, Sherrone Moore is a former offensive lineman and we’ll see if Moore and Grant Newsome can reel in Cantwell, an elite offensive tackle in the 2026 recruiting class

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