Five-Star OT, Oregon Target Announces Commitment on Tuesday
The Oregon Ducks are coming off one of their best seasons in the history of their football program.
Their first year in the Big Ten Conference from the Pac-12, the Ducks asserted their dominance, going undefeated in the regular season and knocking off some of the Big 10's most storied programs.
Advertisement
Oregon's undefeated regular-season record carried into the Big Ten Championship, where it defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Five-Star Oregon target announces commitment
Unfortunately, Oregon's season ended at Ohio State's hands after earning a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
That success carried into the NFL Draft, as the Ducks had a program record 10 players drafted.
Among those drafted was offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr., who was selected No. 29 overall by the Washington Commanders.
Head Coach Dan Lanning was likely in the market for a new offensive tackle and five-star recruit Jackson Cantwell looked to be the next great Ducks lineman.
Advertisement
The Ducks were finalists for the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2026 class, but Cantwell instead announced his commitment to the University of Miami and to become a Hurricane.
The Hurricanes just enjoyed one of their better seasons in a while and watched as Cam Ward became the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Cantwell is 6-foot-7 325 pounds of pure force. The Nixa, Missouri, native will now join former Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal in Coral Gables.
Cristobal was the head coach for Oregon from 2018-2021 before taking the job at Miami in 2022.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
31 minutes ago
- USA Today
Pair of Chargers make the list of top-32 offensive tackles in the NFL
Pair of Chargers make the list of top-32 offensive tackles in the NFL The Chargers have revitalized their roster over the past few years, and that has started with the offensive line. When Jim Harbaugh was hired as the head coach over a year ago, it was clear the team would continue to invest heavily in the position. It's paid off and will continue to do so to keep franchise quarterback Justin Herbert as upright and healthy as possible. In turn, Los Angeles has formed one of the best offensive tackle duos in the NFL. Both Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt cracked Pro Football Focus' list of the top-32 OTs in football. Slater slotted in at No. 3 on the list after his second career Pro Bowl selection in 2024. Alt, coming off an impressive rookie campaign, was 16th. PFF's Zoltan Buday had this to say about the former's ascension during his time in Los Angeles: Even though Slater was already excelling in his first three seasons in the league, he elevated his play to a new level in 2024. His 89.9 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked third among tackles, while his 90.9 PFF overall grade placed second. Slater was the highest-ranked tackle in the AFC, as Tristan Wirfs and Jordan Mailata of the NFC were the only two rated higher. Now, the Chargers are set to enter an awkward stage with their franchise offensive tackle. The former Northwestern product is entering the final year of his rookie contract after the team picked up the fifth-year option. Slater held out of the beginning of OTAs a few weeks ago in hopes of landing a contract extension. There's no doubt whether or not he deserves a huge deal, it's just a matter of if the Chargers will pay him that kind of money. As for Alt, expect him to take that next step forward in his second NFL season in 2025, which could elevate him into the conversation of the game's best.
New York Times
43 minutes ago
- New York Times
Three Panthers questions: Jaire Alexander, WR pecking order and kicking competition
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Media outlets in Cleveland have been charting Shedeur Sanders' passes. In Atlanta and Dallas, they've been waiting for Kirk Cousins and Micah Parsons, respectively, to show up. And in Pittsburgh, the Aaron Rodgers Waiting Game finally came to a merciful end. Nothing signals the coming of summer quite like OTA/minicamp news around the NFL. Advertisement By comparison, it's been a relatively quiet, two-week stretch in Charlotte, where the Carolina Panthers' biggest position battles are at center and kicker. But stability is a good thing for a franchise that was whipping through head coaches and quarterbacks at a dizzying rate not that long ago. But there's still been interesting stuff to track, from tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders' offseason weight loss to how undrafted kicker Ryan Fitzgerald has fared on the skinny goal post. As the Panthers take the field Tuesday for the start of a three-day, mandatory minicamp, The Athletic looks at three questions facing the team. The Panthers re-signed both starting cornerbacks during the offseason, giving Jaycee Horn a four-year, $100 million extension and bringing back Michael Jackson on a considerably cheaper contract (two years, $10.5 million). But when a 28-year-old corner with two Pro Bowl appearances comes available, he's worth a long look. The Panthers are at least expected to do their due diligence on Alexander, according to league sources. That process likely will start with determining what kind of deal Alexander, who was set to make $17.5 million in Green Bay this year, is seeking. Slotting Alexander opposite Horn would give the Panthers a pair of Pro Bowl corners under 30, and provide a boost to a defense that was the NFL's worst in 2024. It would also represent a homecoming for Alexander, who grew up in the Charlotte area before playing at Louisville and getting drafted in the first round by the Packers in 2018. But Morgan, the Panthers' general manager, and the team's other decision-makers, should proceed with caution with Alexander, who has played more than seven games only once over the past four seasons. The Panthers dealt with injury issues with Horn, but decided to pay him after he changed his offseason regimen and stayed healthy in 2024. Advertisement With the money they have tied up in Horn (who was briefly the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history), it's hard to envision the Panthers shelling out another lucrative contract at the position. Perhaps Alexander's health history forces him to take a one-year, prove-it deal. But it's worth asking whether Alexander's big personality would mesh with the culture Dave Canales is trying to establish. The Panthers released Jadeveon Clowney — another Charlotte-area player — after one season in part because they didn't view him as a great locker room fit. The Packers suspended Alexander for a game in 2023 after he went out for the coin toss uninvited (and nearly botched the call) before a Week 16 game at Bank of America Stadium. Alexander said he did so because the game was in Charlotte. Alexander wasn't the only veteran defender released Monday. Bengals middle linebacker Germaine Pratt, a North Carolina native who played at N.C. State, was cut four months after requesting a trade. Pratt's a good player coming off a career-best 143-tackle season. Much like Alexander, the Panthers should check in on Pratt's market. But based on early indications, it seems unlikely they'll make a big push for either player. Full disclosure: It was a little difficult to follow parts of the OTA practices because of where the Panthers stuck media members at the practice facility, which is very much a construction zone as work continues on the new fieldhouse. But the view's been at least clear enough to see Tetairoa McMillan catching everything with his hands and Xavier Legette getting yards after the catch on crossing routes. Canales, who's enjoyed an unobstructed view at practice, recently had some interesting observations on Hunter Renfrow, the former Las Vegas Raiders receiver who was out of the league last year. Advertisement 'You see weekly he just makes these huge strides, just getting his feet under him. And I can tell too, just having coached wide receivers especially, he's got a lot in his game,' Canales said. 'Releases, top of the route, set up, avoidance, different things where he can double up stuff at the top of his routes and you can see him kind of working through his inventory, kind of his tool bag.' Jimmy Horn Jr., the sixth-round pick from Colorado, dropped a pass on a hitch route during the first week of OTAs, then was sidelined with a hamstring issue the second week. Horn has game-changing speed if he can hang on to the ball. Jalen Coker was back last week after missing time with a soft-tissue injury, and don't sleep on David Moore, who has a history with Canales and confidence after a nice bounce-back season in 2024. It's probably too early to declare a leader in the battle for Eddy Pineiro's old job. Fitzgerald, the rookie from Florida State, got off to a rough start two weeks ago when he badly missed several field goals while kicking in the rain and wind. But the south Georgia native had a better showing last week, hitting 4 of 5 field goals on the Arena League-type goal post, with uprights about half the width of regulation NFL posts. As to how Fitzgerald compared to veteran Matthew Wright, that's impossible to say. The 29-year-old Wright did not kick in either of the OTA practices that were open to the media. Presumably, reporters will get a chance to see both Fitzgerald and Wright in the minicamp sessions. Special teams coordinator Tracy Smith said both players have demonstrated they're good workers who have been challenging each other this spring. Smith noted that Wright has one advantage — experience with the new kickoff rules implemented last season. But Smith said he's looking forward to watching the competition continue into training camp. 'We're kind of seeing the pros and cons of each guy and seeing where it goes. There's no reason to really call a leader anywhere in the near future.'
New York Times
43 minutes ago
- New York Times
Anthony Richardson's latest injury proves Colts were wise to invest in Daniel Jones
INDIANAPOLIS — Anthony Richardson dropped back to pass, surveyed the field and just before the Indianapolis Colts quarterback normally would have prepared to throw, he didn't raise his right arm. He didn't even have a football in his hands. When the first pass zipped through the air toward a receiver on the final day of Colts organized team activities last week, it was because Daniel Jones, not Richardson, put it there. Richardson obviously would've liked to participate, especially during such a pivotal offseason with so much riding on his forthcoming third NFL campaign. But in what's become a theme throughout the young QB's career, mental reps were all he could manage. Advertisement Richardson was shut down May 29 after reporting what Colts coach Shane Steichen described as an 'aggravation' to the AC joint in his throwing shoulder. The 23-year-old suffered a severe AC joint sprain in October 2023 of his rookie year that required season-ending surgery. Now, roughly 20 months later, he's once again feeling pain in his shoulder and will be out indefinitely, according to Steichen. So, as the Colts begin their three-day veteran minicamp Tuesday, the mental reps will continue — and so will the questions about Richardson's chances to one day become the face of the franchise. The odds of that ever happening appear to be dwindling by the day, especially if his body won't allow him to take the field. 'We'll see when he comes back. Not going to put a timetable for training camp on it, but when he does come back, we'll ease him into throwing, and we'll go from there,' Steichen said. 'The good thing is, he's not going to need a procedure right now.' The Colts were prepared for something like this, even if it happened sooner than they may have expected. That's why, in hindsight, declaring an open QB competition this offseason, before the team had even signed another quarterback to challenge Richardson, made so much sense. Now, it's Jones' job to lose as he takes full control of the QB1 duties. 'He's been great,' Steichen said of Jones. 'He's done a really nice job for us, obviously, acclimating to the offense, learning … the system. Obviously, a smart guy understands it. He's picked it up real nice, and he's done some good things so far.' Jones would never say it so bluntly publicly, but a big reason he came to Indianapolis on a one-year, $14 million deal, while leaving comparable money on the table in Minnesota (following his dismissal from the Giants), was that he thought he could beat Richardson out for the job. For Jones, who started 69 games in New York, this season is a shot at redemption. For Richardson, who's started just 15 games, it's a chance to finally put everything together. Advertisement Entering this offseason, Richardson knew he must improve as a leader following a two-game benching last year due to a lack of preparation. He also knew he must improve as a passer following a league-low 47.7 completion percentage in 2024. But of all the areas he needs to grow in, it's Richardson's durability, first and foremost, that continues to hold him back. Colts GM Chris Ballard said so himself. 'The No. 1 thing we have to figure out, and what Anthony's got to work through, is staying healthy,' Ballard said in his season-ending news conference in January. 'He's got to be able to stay healthy. And that to me is probably the biggest question right now, because now we're going on two seasons in a row where he's dealt with injuries.' Richardson has missed 17 games due to injury over his first two seasons. Thirteen absences were during his rookie season, when he was sidelined one game due to a concussion and another 12 because of the AC joint sprain. Four more absences came last year, when Richardson missed two games due to an oblique injury and another two because of back spasms. The 2023 No. 4 pick, whom Ballard drafted to be the Colts' first long-term answer at QB since Andrew Luck, has never started more than four games in a row in the NFL. This season was supposed to be different, and it still could be if Richardson returns fully healthy in training camp, firmly reestablishes himself as the starting QB and delivers a career year in 2025. But for now, there is no way to spin Richardson's latest injury as anything but a setback. It's simply another roadblock in a career that's seen too many of them, with this latest one providing the opportunity for Jones to put a stranglehold on the QB1 job ahead of Week 1. 'Everybody can look at the situation differently. I always like to say I'm blessed, honestly,' a rejuvenated Richardson said of the Colts' QB competition in April. 'I still have an opportunity to be in the NFL, still have an opportunity to go out there and compete and win the job for this team. 'I feel like I got drafted again.' But now the question becomes: When will he feel healthy again?
