Oregon Ducks Five-Star Recruit Visits Miami Hurricanes: Flip Watch?

The No. 7 Oregon Ducks have taken the recruiting world by storm with a number of five-star prospects committed to Oregon coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks. Going down and trying to recruit five-star athletes out of the SEC and ACC's own backyard can be nothing short of easy, and Oregon is dealing with the repercussions right now.

Five-star outside linebacker recruit Anthony "Tank" Jones from Mobile, Alabama, committed to Oregon on July 31, but the Miami Hurricanes Jones for a visit for their win against Notre Dame. On3's Chad Simmons reported that both the Auburn Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide are pursuing Jones to stay home.

Oregon Ducks Football Dan Lanning Tosh LupoiAlabama Crimson Tide Miami Hurricanes Recruiting Anthony Jones SEC ACC — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning looks to the clock towards the end of the first half as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Why did Jones commit to Oregon originally?

Although Jones grew up an Alabama fan, but it wasn't enough to sway him to stay home. On ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show." Jones announced his commitment, and explained the reasoning is because he has one ultimate goal in mind--to make it to the NFL.

"They've been coming to see me and made me a real priority...Coach Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi, they have a history of coaching edges and getting guys to the league with their NFL scheme."
Anthony Jones, per ESPN

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Why is Jones sought after?

The 6-4, 240-pound outside linebacker is deemed four-star recruit by ESPN and ranked 27th in their class of 2026 top 300 recruits.

Jones is the No. 1 recruit in the state of Alabama, and second in the nation at his position. Although his high school coach at St. Paul's Episcopal, Ham Barnett, told ESPN he's far from done developing.

"I don't think he's reached his full potential yet...He could be a rush edge in college, but I also think they'll be able to put him inside to create matchups as well. I think the beauty of Tank is you can move him around anywhere."
Ham Barnett, per ESPN

The ability for Jones to already have coaches thinking he's versatile enough to play positions that aren't his main focus is fueling the fire for schools to continue recruiting him despite his commitment.

The pen hasn't hit the paper so the ball is in Jones' court. He is just verbally committed to Oregon and still has ample time to shop around before making a firm decision come signing day.

What can Oregon do?

Rivals Industry Rankings has Jones as a five-star recruit which propelled the Ducks to No. 7 in the class of 2026 rankings. Losing Jones would certainly move Oregon down in the rankings, and it would also decrease the elite quality of the Ducks' commits.

Despite being committed to Oregon, Lanning and company are expected to continue Jones as other SEC and ACC schools pursue the five-star. The staff needs to reiterate their ability to transform athletes to the NFL, and the impact a player like Jones would make for their program.