Tennessee loses battle for 4-star recruit that once called the Vols the team to beat in his recruitment
The Tennessee Vols lost a recruiting battle this week for a 2026 four-star defender that previously said UT was the team to beat in his recruitment. 2026 four-star edge rusher Anthony Jones committed to the UCLA Bruins on Thursday. Jones, 6-foot-5/240 lbs from Irvine, CA, is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 17 defensive lineman […]
The Tennessee Vols lost a recruiting battle this week for a 2026 four-star defender that previously said UT was the team to beat in his recruitment.
2026 four-star edge rusher Anthony Jones committed to the UCLA Bruins on Thursday.
Jones, 6-foot-5/240 lbs from Irvine, CA, is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 17 defensive lineman in the nation and the No. 34 player in the state of California.
“It is a great fit for me,” said Jones to On3 of his decision. “I was at UCLA a few weeks ago and I love it up there. Their staff has been hard on me for a while and it is really like home for me there."
Jones told 247Sports last fall that Tennessee was the team to beat in his recruitment due to the Vols' scheme and his relationship with the coaches in Knoxville.
"Tennessee is probably the team to beat right now," said Jones. "Me and the coaches talk all the time and I feel I fit the scheme on that defense pretty well. They are definitely high on me and that interest is mutual."
It's always tough to pull a recruit away from the west coast and it seems likely that the distance factor was just too much for the Volunteers to overcome in this recruiting battle.
