Five-star offensive tackle dominates on visit

The Oregon Ducks are looking to make a big impression in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

But they also have an impact on the 2026 class.

The Ducks informally invited five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell to Eugene for two days last week, and according to Cantwell himself, the Ducks made a great impression during his visit.

“During my visit, I got to see pretty much everything. I got to get an in-depth look at how Coach (Alik) Terry and Coach (Dan) Lanning run the program, as well as tour all of the facilities and meet everyone involved with the program,” Cantwell told On3's Chad Simmons. “It was a really cool experience. You see it a lot on social media, but it was good to see it in person. It's pretty authentic.”

One of the top prospects in the entire 2026 class, Cantwell is currently ranked as the No. 4 overall player in the nation, the No. 2 offensive tackle and the No. 1 player in the state of Missouri, according to On3 Industry Rankings.

Right now, he appears to be leaning toward Missouri, with Oklahoma, Nebraska and Georgia also on the table.

But given what he experienced with Lanning and Terry in Eugene, Dax now has a strong chance of joining the race to recruit the Nixa (Mo.) five-star.

“Getting to work with Coach Terry and hone our offensive line skills was definitely one of the highlights,” Cantwell said. “It was really awesome to work with him and learn some of the things they do and it was really fun. Meeting Coach Running was also one of the highlights. Obviously, he's a great guy. I think he's really got the program going in the right direction and I think they're going to be really successful under his guidance.”