Oregon Ducks Dark Horse To Land Elite Five-Star Recruit Anthony 'Tank' Jones?

Steve Wiltfong of On3 said that despite the Ducks coming on late in Jones' recruitment, offering him this past February on the same he landed a Texas A&M offer.

"Don’t sleep on the Ducks for Jones. The duo of Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi are formidable on the trail. On the NIL front it sounds like all three programs have been aggressive. I personally have talked more about Alabama and Texas A&M during this process, but as a decision draws near I have a keen eye on Oregon as well," Wiltfong said.

Wiltfong compared Jones' recruitment to Oregon cornerback Na'eem Offord's, as the Ducks gave a late push in both recruitments. Ohio State gave a big push, but the Ducks managed to sign Offord in a major recruiting win just one cycle ago in 2025. Safe to say, if Oregon coach Dan Lanning is able to land Jones, it would be another dark horse win on the recruiting trail for the program in back-to-back cycles.

Jones is one of the best uncommitted players left on the board. The No. 4 edge rusher and No. 18 player in the country according to 247Sports Composite rankings, Jones is the third highest-ranked uncommitted recruit left in the rankings, just behind the No. 1 running back in the country, Savion Hiter, and the No. 1 safety in the country, Bralan Womack.

On3's Recruiting Prediction Machines favors the Crimson Tide in Jones' recruitment, giving Alabama a 31.1 percent chance of landing their in-state recruit. Texas A&M is given a 9.8 percent of landing Jones, meanwhile the Ducks have the worst odds of landing him with a 6.6 percent chance.

The Ducks currently own the No. 11 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle according to 247Sports rankings and the addition of Jones would easily push them into the top ten. He would become the fourth five-star prospect to commit to Oregon behind offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho, safety Jett Washington, and tight end Kendre Harrison.

Iheanacho is the No. 1 offensive tackle and No. 8 player in the country according to 247Sports Composite rankings. Washington isn't too far behind as the No. 23 player in the country and Harrison is right behind him at No. 28.

Bringing in four five-star prospects and securing a future for the program would be the perfect way to begin the 2025 season and that's the way the Ducks are trending.