SoCal Edge Rusher Has UW Among Final 3, Husky Influence Everywhere

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Feb 10, 2025 7:08 PM ET

Like it or not, Anthony "Poppa" Jones is going to get a taste of Husky football no matter where he chooses to play the college game.

On Monday, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound edge rusher from Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine, California, revealed to Rivals.com he has narrowed his recruitment to three schools -- Tennessee, UCLA and Washington.

As the January 8th photo accompanying this story indicates, former UW co-defensive coordinator William Inge is the Tennessee point man in trying to coax Jones, a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2026, to Knoxville and the SEC.

"Great talk with my guy," the edge rusher posted after touring the Volunteers program.

As for UCLA, Jones no doubt is hearing recruiting pitches at times from Bruins defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe, the former Huskies safety and linebacker and a UW edge-rusher coach for Jimmy Lake.

Huskies current defensive-line coach Jason Kaufusi no doubt is leading the effort to bring the top 30 California recruit to Montlake.

BREAKING: Class of 2026 4 ⭐️ DE Anthony Jones ( @Ajones2026 ) has cut his list down to 3️⃣ schools.
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Anthony Jones is a 6’5 (260 LBS) Defensive End out of Irvine, CA. He’s a top 30 ranked recruit in California and ranks as the 11th Defensive End in the class of 2026.
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Let him… pic.twitter.com/5TAYb0Kczl
— Steezo (@SteezoDsgn) February 10, 2025

In cutting his schools to three, Jones parted ways with Michigan and Arizona State, who were listed among his top five as far back as September.

For a 9-3 and playoff-bound Crean team as a junior, this physical looking edge rusher finished with 54 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and an interception. He has accumulated 15.5 sacks over the past two seasons.

On social media, Jones has indicated he will visit the UW on March 8 and likely meet with new UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters and get better acquainted with Kaufusi.

This article first appeared on Washington Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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