Oregon Ducks predicted to land 5-star behemoth after missing out on elite OT Jackson Cantwell to the Miami Hurricanes
The Oregon Ducks were among the final contenders for elite 2026 five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell out of Nix (Mo.) High School, but Cantwell opted for the Miami Hurricanes on Tuesday. It was something that head coach Dan Lanning and the Oregon staff were planning around, knowing that Miami and the Georgia Bulldogs had separated […]
The Oregon Ducks were among the final contenders for elite 2026 five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell out of Nix (Mo.) High School, but Cantwell opted for the Miami Hurricanes on Tuesday. It was something that head coach Dan Lanning and the Oregon staff were planning around, knowing that Miami and the Georgia Bulldogs had separated themselves. Luckily, the Ducks had something cooking behind the scenes.
Shortly after Cantwell made his commitment, positive news surfaced for Oregon. Steve Wiltfong, the On3 vice president of recruiting, put in an expert prediction for fellow five-star Baltimore (Md.) Georgetown Preparatory School offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho to end up with the Ducks. They were among a stellar group of potential suitors for Iheanacho, including LSU, Auburn, and Penn State.
Iheanacho is considered to be an elite recruit by multiple of the major recruiting platform. That includes the On3 Industry ranking that currently has him rated as the No. 2 overall player, and No. 2 offensive tackle in the 2026 recruiting class behind Cantwell. The Maryland native also sits as a five-star player on the 247Sports Composite ranking, pegged as the No. 4 overall player and No. 2 offensive tackle in the class.
Outside of Oregon, a long list of impressive programs have pursued the 6-6.5, 345-pound behemoth. Some of Iheanacho’s other top offers include Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas, Michigan, Oklahoma, LSU, Tennessee, USC, Texas A&M, Florida, Florida State, Nebraska, Penn State, and Ole Miss among many others.
The first thing that is going to pop off the screen with Iheanacho is his raw size, but the talented offensive tackle is much more than that. For a player his size and length, Iheanacho possesses very good foot quickness as well. He can be a dominant force at the point of attack, which is a big reason why some believe he rivals the talents of Cantwell.
Oregon has also done a nice job of developing the offensive tackle passion in recent years, with Penei Sewell and Josh Conerly Jr. having gone in the first round over the last five years. Ajani Cornelius was also a very solid right tackle that was drafted during the 2025 NFL Draft class. Iheanacho could be potentially joining a very proud traditional that continues to be built.
Five-star playmaker gives Dan Lanning the feedback he desperately needed to hear after rough recruiting patch
Suffering losses on the recruiting trail is an inevitable destiny for every college football head coach. Some sting more than others, but the best program can't go perfectly with their offer-to-commit ratio. However, some rough patches can cause some concern as to whether there's a trend or a bigger issue at hand. Oregon was red […]
