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Georgia whiffing on Jackson Cantwell could end up costing Tennessee a 5-star commit

Would hate to see this happen.
ByBraulio Perez|
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel shanks hands with Georgia head coach Kirby Smart before the start of a NCAA college football game against Tennessee in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel shanks hands with Georgia head coach Kirby Smart before the start of a NCAA college football game against Tennessee in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. | Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Earlier this month, the Miami Hurricanes made a huge splash by landing 5-star Jackson Cantwell, the No. 1 offensive tackle in the country. Little did Tennessee football fans know that Cantwell picking Miami over Georgia could come back to haunt the Vols.

With UGA missing out on Cantwell, Kirby Smart and Co. have now shifted their attention to other OT targets. The list includes Tennessee verbal pledge Gabriel Osenda, who was just elevated to his 5-star status by 247Sports.

This week, however, concern has arrived for the Vols and Josh Heupel with Osenda appearing to leave the door open for Smart and the Bulldogs to make a run at flipping him. Osenda had said that he's not going to take any other visits, but Georgia is surely a team to keep an eye on moving forward:

Tennessee must now work to keep 5-star OT Gabriel Osenda from flipping to Georgia

For a little while, it felt like all signs were pointing to Cantwell, one of the top playmakers in the country for the 2026 class, committing to the Bulldogs. Multiple predictions came in for him to pick UGA, especially after he scheduled a last-minute trip to Athens ahead of his commitment date.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Miami came in and pulled off one of the biggest recruiting wins for this cycle. Credit to Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal for getting this over the finish line, but Vols supporters didn't know it might end up impacting Heupel like this.

Osenda committed to Tennessee earlier this year over fellow finalists Florida, South Carolina and Minnesota. Since then, he has seen a lift in his rankings, as he's now rated five stars, the No. 4 offensive tackle in the country, No. 2 player from Tennessee and No. 19 prospect overall by 247Sports.

Throughout his recruitment, the massive 6-7, 330-pounder has picked up 28 offers. He seemed 100 percent locked in with Heupel, but everyone's now going to be waiting to see if the UT head man can prevent Smart from pulling off a flip. Osenda is fully committed to Tennessee for now, but who knows how things will end up shaping out.

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