“Ridiculous if he wasn't getting a pretty good chunk": CFB analyst fires back at critics on Jackson Cantwell's $2M NIL rumor

For days, it seemed like five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell would pick Georgia. However, the Nixa (Missouri) standout ultimately shocked the football community by committing to Miami over Georgia and Oregon.

Controversy quickly followed when On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Miami had allegedly offered Cantwell a massive $2 million NIL deal for his freshman year. In response, On3's J.D. PicKell pushed back against critics targeting Cantwell over the rumored deal.

"It's modern college football," PicKell said Tuesday. "This kid's No. 1 player in America. It would be abnormal, it would be nay, it would be ridiculous if he wasn't getting a pretty good chunk of change to go wherever he was going to college Miami or otherwise. So that's the first part of this, the other part of this is if it was about money."

Pickell noted that financial factors obviously had a big role in Cantwell's decision, but it is just one of many. He also revealed some key factors that might have contributed to Cantwell's decision in favor of Miami.

"I think that the fact that Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal the head coach or the offensive line coach at Miami," PicKell said. "I think their development of the offensive line and a guy like Penay Sewell what he's doing right now in the NFL seems like he's OK.

"The whole offensive line thing was developed at a pretty high level. There is like a legitimate professional development aspect of this for Jackson Cantwell as to why it would make sense."

Jackson Cantwell now stands as the top-rated recruit in Miami’s 2026 class, joining four-star offensive tackle Ben Congdon. With his commitment, the Hurricanes boast 10 total pledges in the cycle and currently sit at No. 8 in the national rankings.

Jackson Cantwell opens up about the NIL controversy

The 2025 class made headlines when the nation’s top recruit, Bryce Underwood, shocked many by flipping his commitment from LSU to Michigan, reportedly in exchange for a lucrative NIL deal. For elite athletes like Underwood, such moves are becoming increasingly common and unsurprising.

As the No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class, getting a massive NIL deal is not a big thing for Jackson Cantwell. However, Cantwell made it clear that his commitment to Miami wasn’t driven by money, saying:

“Well, I think my response to it is it’s not the same narrative people like Pete Nakos are pushing right now. I think there’s just a false narrative that that’s why I’m choosing. And I think that, I mean, I think relationships won out in Miami.”

Besides being a massive football talent, Jackson Cantwell also shines in track and field. He is a two-time Missouri 5A state champion in shot put, a Nike Nationals winner and the 2023-24 Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year. He also earned a 33 on the ACT as just an eighth grader.