Alabama still impressing five-star OL Jackson Cantwell

Alabama had several standout Class of 2026 targets on campus for its yearly Champions Cookout on Sunday. Among the headliners of the group was five-star offensive lineman Jackson Cantwell. The elite athlete out of Nixa, Missouri is ranked as the No. 2 player in 2026 and is a star on both the football field and tack for Nixa High School.

Cantwell included Alabama in his top 14, which he released July 18. With the start of high school football just around the corner, the Crimson Tide got a crucial visit ahead of the season to help separate itself from Cantwell’s other elite contenders. He learned more about the new staff and spent time with several offensive line commits in Alabama’s 2025 class.

“I loved it,” Cantwell told Tide Illustrated. “Really cool environment and I got to learn a lot about how Bama will look going into next year and how I can fit there. The commits were also great dudes. Ty (Haywood) Mal (Waldrep) and Micah (DeBose) were all really fun to talk to and they seem to have a great vision for Bama in the upcoming years.”

During the cookout, Cantwell and Alabama’s other visitors ate lunch on Alabama’s practice field and participated in a scavenger hunt doing different activities around campus. That allowed Cantwell to see more of what UA has to offer, while he was also able to see some new add-ons to Alabama’s facilities.

“It was pretty cool getting to see some of the new stuff they added to the facilities and to get to see everything on campus that I hadn’t seen yet,” Cantwell said. “That was something that definitely stood out. The scavenger hunt allowed for us to see anything and everything around the college town.”

Cantwell also sat down with Alabama offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic. Kapilovic has been one of the best recruiters in the country this summer, having reeled in the Crimson Tide’s elite 2025 OL group that includes Haywood, Waldrep and DeBose, as well as four-star linemen Michael Carroll and Jackson Lloyd.

Kapilovic will be an asset when it comes to Alabama staying in the race for Cantwell, who said Kapilovic talks with him a few times per week, while other Alabama recruiting staff members are in touch daily. During the cookout, Kapilovic and other Crimson Tide assistants were able to break down their vision for the Alabama program. Cantwell was also able to catch up with head coach Kalen DeBoer.

“I got to talk to him 1-on-1,” Cantwell said. “He’s as advertised for sure. Great dude and definitely is gonna do a good job this year.

“They were telling me that Bama is going to be very good in the upcoming years because of their traditions and the people currently there, and they’re building something very good.”

Cantwell also visited Georgia and LSU over the weekend (quotes on those visits HERE). Cantwell wants to return to Alabama this fall and said he will potentially get back to campus for a gameday visit. While there is still a long way to go in the race for Cantwell’s services, Georgia has a strong contender in his recruitment, while Missouri is also keen on keeping the 6-foot-8, 300-pound athlete in-state.