Auburn's race for multiple EDGE prospects turns fruitful with five-star recruit Anthony Jones' official visit

Auburn already has an edge rusher commit in the 2026 class in four-star prospect Hezekiah Harris. The Tigers are still trending for multiple edge rushers in the cycle, including five-star rusher Anthony Jones, also known as Anthony 'Tank' Jones.

Hugh Freeze's program is on a big recruiting momentum, as Jones will take his official visit to Plains this weekend.

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The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Jones told Rivals in April that Auburn is “a top school” in his recruitment. Analyst Tom Loy from 247Sports has already predicted the Tigers to land his commitment, and On3 also lists them as the frontrunner with a 36.5% chance.

"I feel like I'm a big priority," Jones told Rivals. "They always make it clear that I'm a big priority every time I come up here. So I just enjoy it. Just take it in. Be humble about it."

Auburn has seven committed players in the 2026 class, ranking No. 6 in the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers are also leading the race for several other edge rushers in the 2026 class, including Trenton Henderson from Pensacola Catholic (Florida), Bryce Perry-Wright from Buford (Georgia) and Andrew Harris from Weddington (North Carolina).

Anthony Jones opens up about his connection with Auburn LB coach

Anthony Jones visited Plains in April to attend Auburn’s A-Day and spent significant time with outside linebackers coach Roc Bellantoni for the first time.

"I talk to him over the phone a lot," Jones told Rivals. "It's been good just to see him in person more than I did before. So it was just good. He's going to keep it real with you. Gave me a lot of knowledge and stuff. He was just life advice. So he was just good."

Jones is the No. 1 recruit in Alabama and the No. 3 edge rusher in the 2026 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. As a junior in the 2024 season, he recorded 84 solo tackles, 38 assists, 18 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, and two interceptions. The Alabama native was also one of three finalists for the 6A Lineman of the Year award.

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Maliha is a High School Sports news and listicles writer at Sportskeeda. A post graduate in Management Information Systems, it was her love for writing and sports which led her down the path of sports content creation. An experienced NBA and NFL writer, she covered the two sports extensively at SportsZion and SportsKnot before joining SportsKeeda.

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Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.