He would have been a massive addition to the class.
Nation's No. 4 EDGE Tank Jones Spurns SEC Powerhouse originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Alabama Crimson Tide had five commitments from prospects within the state of Alabama heading into Thursday.
Unfortunately for Alabama, as five-star edge rusher Anthony "Tank" Jones went in a different direction. Jones announced his commitment to the Oregon Ducks and Dan Lanning live on "The Pat McAfee Show."
Head coach Kalen DeBoer has not gotten to Nick Saban's level in terms of on-field results, but recruiting has been on fire. The Crimson Tide has the No. 7 overall recruiting class for the 2026 cycle on On3 Sports.
Jones would have been the fifth five-star commit for Alabama from the 2026 class if he had gone with the Crimson Tide.
Jones is the No. 4 edge rusher and top recruit from Alabama in the Rivals Industry Rankings for the class. He attends St. Paul's Episcopal in Mobile, Alabama.
He picked Oregon over Alabama and the Texas A&M Aggies.
Even without Jones, Alabama still has a quality recruiting class led by five-star prospects Jireh Edwards, Xavier Griffin, Cederian Morgan and Jorden Edmonds.
Jones was not the only five-star prospect that the Crimson Tide was pursuing, as an unofficial visit is in the works with quarterback Elijah Haven. Haven is the top quarterback in the 2027 class and a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Haven is considering the LSU Tigers, Auburn Tigers, Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines. The visit will take place in the fall once it is scheduled.
Speaking of Ohio State, Joel Klatt had quite the comparison for Buckeyes' star Jeremiah Smith and Alabama receiver Ryan Williams. Klatt believed the duo was the best combination of receivers he had ever seen.
Fans will want to see more results on the field, but Alabama is recruiting at Saban's level following his retirement.
Related: Nation's No. 1 Running Back Schedules Visit With Alabama
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports
