He does kinda have that cactus buck look to him, but if they say he isn't, I will take their word for it for the time being. He does have more mass and solid antler than most of the cactus bucks I've ever seen. It does look to me like he is shedding his antlers, and not just adding to what he has each year.
I don't know why people are thinking he looks like a younger deer. He has that white face that I see on most older early season bucks and his body looks to be pretty good sized. You can tell by the bulbs on his antler tips that it was still pretty early in the season and even mature bucks don't look as big and blocky that time of year.