The top remaining target on Alabama's board in the 2026 class, 5-star EDGE Anthony 'Tank' Jones from Mobile, will announce his college decision live on the Pat McAfee show on Thursday. Jones will choose between the home-state Crimson Tide, Oregon, and Texas A&M.
Alabama has been seen as the (slight) leader for a while, but the latest chatter seems to be pointing in the direction of the Pacific Northwest.
Jones is a priority target, and an in-state player to boot, so missing out on him would be a tough pill to swallow. But that's recruiting. You win some, you lose some. Even for the guys you truly covet.
But be prepared for the narrative to shift drastically on Kalen DeBoer and the Tide's elite recruiting class if Jones escapes the state's borders and traverses west to College Station or Eugene. It doesn't matter how many elite recruits Alabama has committed already. It doesn't matter that they have more 5-star commitments than any other program. It doesn't matter that three of the top four players in the state in this cycle are already committed to the Crimson Tide. Recency bias reigns supreme, and the sharks have been circling the water looking to write the Alabama obituary for quite some time.
Losing out on Jones would be viewed as a failure. He's the No. 1 player in the state for this cycle, and if he chooses Oregon, it would mark the second consecutive year in which the Ducks jumped into Alabama and snatched away the state's top prospect. In the 2025 class, Oregon beat out Auburn for 5-star CB Na'eem Offord.
Alabama's class remains elite with or without Tank Jones
If Jones commits to Alabama, then the Crimson Tide will jump further up the rankings, but as things stand right now, they hold the No. 4 class in the composite rankings for the 2026 cycle. They have an average recruit rating higher than the three teams ahead of them, and only rank lower because of sheer volume.
At No. 11, Oregon has more of a desperation to land Jones and are likely pulling out all the stops to do so.
Alabama already holds commitments from two 4-star EDGEs in this class: Jamarion Matthews and Kamhariyan Johnson. If they miss on Jones, don't be surprised if they circle back to 4-star KJ Ford, who recently committed to Florida but held Alabama in high regard throughout his recruiting process.
Even if Alabama lands no one else in this class, it's still an elite group of young prospects who will join a loaded roster in Tuscaloosa next season. DeBoer has proven repeatedly that he can recruit, even as the goalposts continue to be moved by people who can't stand that they were wrong about him.