Alabama suffered a painful loss on the recruiting trail on Thursday afternoon.
Oregon beat out the Crimson Tide and several other SEC programs for 5-star defensive lineman Anthony “Tank” Jones. Under any circumstances, that would be a tough blow for Alabama. But to add salt in the wound, Jones is from nearby Mobile, Alabama.
Jones announced his commitment to the Ducks during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. Texas A&M was also in Jones’ final 3. Here’s a clip of his official announcement:
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Jones is a big loss for the Crimson Tide. He’s the No. 18 overall player and the No. 4 edge rusher in the country for the class of 2026, per 247Sports Composite rankings. He’s also the No. 1 player from the state of Alabama.
If there’s a silver lining for Alabama, it’s that it does have an elite recruiting class already in the works. The Crimson Tide have the nation’s No. 4-ranked class despite having just 21 commitments so far. The class is headlined by five 5-star prospects including one edge rusher in Xavier Griffin.
The Early Signing Period for the class of 2026 is set for December.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
