Five-star 2026 OT Jackson Cantwell hearing from Grant Newsome often, talks overall Michigan interest

Michigan offensive line coach Grant Newsome is casting a wide net for prospective targets next cycle, as the highest-ranked offered mauler, five-star Nixa (Mo.) High tackle Jackson Cantwell, consistently speaks to the assistant.

“I talk to him, I’d say, either daily or every other day,” Cantwell told The Wolverine. “I talk to him a decent amount. Just talking about some Michigan stuff. Started talking about some stuff in my game.”

Cantwell picked up a Michigan offer in early February and later dropped a Top 14 last month, featuring the Wolverines, so Newsome is among the short list of coaches whom the sophomore is reaching out this summer.

“It’s definitely good to have an array of offensive line coaches that I really think I need to talk to in there,” Cantwell said. “So, I’m glad that (Newsome is) one of them, and I’m glad that he can provide some insight on stuff for me that I can learn from.”

Practice or in-game clips of Cantwell are sent regularly to Newsome. Also, inquiring about what the former sees online and social media from the reigning national champions.

“I watched a little bit of their offseason training, and I watched a lot of their run game cut-ups from the last two years,” Cantwell said. “I watched the Washington game live. I also watched some cut-ups of their run game. Honestly, they’re doing a very, very good job of running every single play. They don’t really have one thing that they rely on. That’s something we talked about. They run a little bit of everything. They’re not usually a huge outside zone team, but ironically, they made a lot of those outside concepts work in that Washington game. They just kept exposing them that way. They were just getting pretty much anything and everything to go whenever they got some movement, and they got movement a lot.”

Newsome’s recruiting style has centered around his relatability with prospects. At 27 years old, he successfully landed two tight ends in the past two cycles before transitioning to the offensive line. In the 2025 class, he snagged two Michigan State legacies in Avery Gach and Kaden Strayhorn, and is pushing for five-star tackle Andrew Babalola.

For Cantwell, he’s impressed that Newsome has climbed the coaching ranks this fast.

“I’ve seen a lot of programs, and there’s really only two programs I can think of that have offensive line coaches anywhere near that young,” Cantwell said. “It’s really cool to see someone at that age doing that. I’m definitely impressed how he’s made it to that point already in his career. I think he’s going to do a pretty good job, honestly. Looking at how Michigan’s been in the last couple of years, how he’s been doing his studies under Coach Moore to learn the offensive line position. I think he’ll do a very, very good job coaching these guys.”

Newsome’s current role began when Michigan elevated Sherrone Moore to head coach. They each have an offensive line background in a player and coach capacity.

“That’s pretty cool,” Cantwell said. “I think having an offensive (or a) defensive (head) coach can be good because a lot of great programs have also had defensive coaches and been successful because the offense gets to learn from those guys. But as far as having an offensive-focused guy, (Moore will) be able to focus a little more on the offensive side of the ball, obviously. They’re expected to have more success on the offensive side of the ball when the head coach is there. So, it definitely means that the expectations would be raised there, which is good because it brings everybody around.”

Cantwell is beginning to gather an understanding of Moore’s personality.

“It seems like he’s a pretty energetic and emotional dude, and I think he cares about the game a lot,” Cantwell said.

Michigan planned on hosting Cantwell for an unofficial visit in late March during spring camp practice. He had to cancel the trip, but appearing in Ann Arbor for the first time remains a strong consideration.

“I’m definitely starting to narrow down my list a little bit,” Cantwell said. “There are some schools I have not visited yet. I know Michigan, Ohio State, Ole Miss – those are some schools that might be in contention for a fall game day visit. I’m seeing what times that might work best with one of those to see when I can get to go see some new places. So, Michigan’s definitely in line to potentially get a visit.

“It’s just mainly just getting to see anything and everything. Obviously, getting to meet with Coach Newsome would be a big one, getting to talk ball with Coach Moore, and figure out how Michigan got to that point. Potentially, getting to breakdown some game film, some Michigan film, just break down how they play ball. Obviously, getting to see the facilities. I feel like you do that no matter what, but that’s a big one, for sure. Getting to meet the other people that have been recruiting at Michigan, like some analysts. Those people who tell you how the O-line room is going to look. There’s probably more, but those are some of the first ones.”

As the No. 2 overall prospect and No. 1 offensive tackle in the country, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, Cantwell is a consensus five-star on all four primary recruiting media services. Heading into the fall, he’ll look to finalize another cut of his offer sheet.

“It still seems crazy because two years ago, I would have no idea that any of this could ever happen,” Cantwell said. “But nowadays, I’m trying to do it the same way I always have. Just put my head down, keep going, take it day by day. I’ve actually had to start divvying up my time in or start divvying up my resources to handle the recruiting stuff. So, that’s been a little bit of a new challenge. But I’m willing to take it on every step of the way. I’m just using it as a resource to keep getting better because I have the Top 14. I could send 14 different O-line coaches film or ask them questions and get some feedback. I’ve got an elite network right now just to get better at the game. It’s really cool to be able to utilize all these resources to learn from all these great people. I think it’s going to really, really help me grow as a football player.”

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