The Oregon Ducks have been on a tear on the 2026 recruiting trail.
Dan Lanning and company have put together the No. 3 class in the country, headlined by four five-star recruits. A feat that isn’t too surprising considering the Ducks have been routinely putting together top five classes over the past few seasons.
However, just because they currently hold verbal commitments from some of the best recruits in the country, doesn’t mean that other programs won’t be pushing for a flip. Something that Rivals reported appears to be the case for five-star EDGE, Anthony “Tank” Jones.
Ranked as the No. 22 player in the country, No. 4 EDGE and No. 1 player in the state, both Alabama and Auburn are reportedly making strong pushes to keep him home.
“We are hearing that both in-state schools, Alabama and Auburn, will play the slow game and work to get him back on campus for games this fall,” read the report. “Both the Crimson Tide and the Tigers are giving Jones his space, but as the season progresses, we expect staffs from both SECprograms to be in Mobile working to flip him from the Ducks through Signing Day in December.”
With National Signing Day on February 4, both the Crimson Tide and Tigers will have ample time to convince Jones that there’s no reason to make the trek to the Pacific Northwest, and will also have time to sweeten their offers.
According to On3’s NIL Valuations, Jones ranks No. 33 in high school football with a $422,00 valuation. This past season for St. Paul’s Episcopal, Jones racked up 84 tackles, 18 TFL and 16 sacks.
