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Oregon Ducks and Dan Lanning still surprising contenders for five star defensive recruit as his commitment nears

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Travis May | Last updated Jul 27, 2025 9:21 AM ET

The Oregon Ducks have been hot and cold on the recruiting trail this offseason. They lost a couple key recruiting battles earlier this summer, a few flips have gone both directions, but then since mid-June locked in three five star talents in Jett Washington (S), Immanuel Iheanacho (OT), and Kendre Harrison (TE).

Now the Ducks and head coach Dan Lanning find themselves in the midst of yet another five star recruiting battle on the defensive side of the ball as Anthony "Tank" Jones' commitment is just around the corner.

Anthony Jones' recruiting commitment is coming soon

Anthony Jones has been widely considered a five star talent for over two years now according to all of the major recruiting services and experts around the country. At 6'3", 245 pounds Jones possesses elite burst, agility, strength, and finish to dominate off the defensive edge.

Though just about every top tier college football program in the country has pursued him, Jones' recruitment is now down to three schools as his commitment is "coming soon" according to his family this week: Alabama, Texas A&M, and Oregon.

Oregon fans shouldn't be too shocked to find themselves here among Jones' finalists seeing how the Ducks have developed the position recently, but given all the recent smoke around him liking Alabama and the Aggies, it is a bit surprising to know the Ducks are still serious contenders here.

Rivals' @SWiltfong_ has the latest on 5-star EDGE Anthony Jones as a decision is "coming soon"⌛️

️Intel: https://t.co/h0lR5IpUPO pic.twitter.com/wIusnltkkN
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 24, 2025

Recruiting experts have been circulating plenty on both the Crimson Tide and Aggies when it comes to Jones' upcoming decision. Whether it's quotes from his family, directly from Jones himself, or "sources" from Alabama or Texas A&M themselves, it seems there's been a bit of a bias towards the SEC schools.

However, Oregon has also been pushing hard here down the stretch, continually reaching out to Jones (this week too) since his official visit with the Ducks in June. Jones has visited more with Alabama, and the Aggies are the apparent flavor of the week favorite right now via sources that A to Z Sports talks to, but don't count the Ducks out just yet.

Oregon sent Jordan Burch to the NFL this spring. Kayvon Thibodeaux was just a top five NFL Draft pick a few years ago. And now Matayo Uiagalelei is generating legitimate first round buzz too. The Ducks have proven to be one of the best developing programs for Jones' position.

Dan Lanning's defense will likely have early starting opportunity available for Jones as well if he does indeed choose to commit to Oregon. Uiagalelei should be gone after this year. Elijah Rushing should be the heir apparent on one defensive edge, but the starting reps opposite him could be up for grabs right away given Jones' talent.

Ducks fans just need to hope Lanning closes the deal here so Oregon's defense keeps stacking elite talents this offseason. If he does? Oregon should find themselves with yet another elite recruiting class once again (already ranked 11th for 2026 right now).

We'll be back with more College Football coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

And if you want to see why Anthony "Tank" Jones should be a great fit and a huge priority here for Oregon as his recruitment wraps up make sure you get eyes on his junior season highlights below.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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