Kalen DeBoer must go all-in for in-state 5-star who could announce any day

A handful of years ago, it would have been shocking to see the Texas A&M Aggies and the Oregon Ducks alongside the Crimson Tide as the final schools in contention to land a five-star prospect out of Alabama.

However, times have changed, and now, head coach Kalen DeBoer has to compete with a whole host of other programs to land top recruits. This time around, he has to go all-in to secure a commitment from five-star EDGE Anthony Jones, despite him growing up just a few hours from Tuscaloosa.

Jones announced that the Aggies, Ducks, and Tide were his final three programs. Then, he shared he was only a week or two away from announcing his decision. DeBoer has to put all of his chips in the basket to land this prospect.

Of course, many recruiting experts had Jones deciding between the Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers, the customary finalists for a kid out of Alabama. However, with the NIL collectives boasted by Oregon and Texas A&M, it's hard to deny those programs their picks of the litter.

Anthony Jones recruitment process notables

• 37 total visits (5 official)
• 10 visits with Alabama Crimson Tide (1 official)
• 3 visits with Texas A&M Aggies (1 official)
• 2 visits with Oregon Ducks (1 official)
• Official visits with Miami Hurricanes and Auburn Tigers

To put it simply, Jones has been busy. Beyond his final three schools, Auburn, and the Miami Hurricanes, he has taken nearly 40 visits (both official and unofficial) over the last few years.

Jones visited the LSU Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, Florida State Seminoles, Florida Gators, and Clemson Tigers before narrowing down his list to just a handful of possible programs, eventually cutting it down to his current final three teams.

Also read: In-state 4-star recruit leaves Nate Oats and Alabama out in the cold

On3 and Rivals currently give the Crimson Tide a 31.1 percent chance to land Jones' commitment, allotting just 9.8 percent to the Aggies and a minimal 6.6 percent to the Ducks. The recruiting site still gives Auburn a 25 percent chance to earn his commitment.