Oregon adds disruptive DL Anthony Jones to 2026 class

Irvine (Calif.) Crean Lutheran three-star defensive lineman Anthony Jones has committed to Oregon, giving the Ducks a nice late addition to their 2026 recruiting class.

Jones is a two-time former UCLA commit, who came back on the board for a second time during the December signing period. He was one of many who originally backed off a pledge to the Bruins after the early-season firing of head coach DeShaun Foster this fall. He then jumped back in the boat in October, choosing the in-state program over Arizona State and Arkansas.

But when new head coach Bob Chesney was hired from James Madison, Jones chose to look around again and decommitted for a second time. He opted to hold off on signing and is now headed to Eugene after he chose the Ducks over fellow finalist Wisconsin.

Arizona State was in the mix late for the lineman, along with the Ducks and Badgers. Jones visited Oregon over the weekend and that helped seal the deal for head coach Dan Lanning and Co.

“The interest is pretty serious, I’ve been knowing coach (Tony) Tuioti since freshman year and we’ve been building our relationship for years,” Jones told Scoop Duck’s Justin Hopkins after the late visit.

… It was me and my mom on the visit and we really liked the amount of resources poured into athletes both on and off the field.”

Jones is the No. 422 overall prospect and No. 40 DL in the 2026 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 40 player in California.

The 6-foot-5, 285-pounder finished his senior season with 23 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and three sacks, while being recorded with 46 total quarterback pressures. Across his sophomore and junior seasons, he totaled 100 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks as one of the Golden State’s most disruptive front-seven defenders.

Ducks might not be done just yet

Jones is one of two expected late additions to the class for Oregon, which now sits with the No. 3 class in the country in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

Buford (Ga.) athlete Dayton Raiola, who played quarterback on the prep level but likely transitions to more of an H-back/tight end on the next level, is also considered a heavy Ducks lean heading into Signing Day.

Raiola is the younger brother of Ducks quarterback Dylan Raiola and was one of the most productive quarterbacks in the state of Georgia over the past two seasons.