Tennessee Makes Football Top Five For Anthony Jones

Tennessee makes the top five for the 2026 edge rusher out of California

Tennessee Target Anthony Jones /

The Tennessee Volunteers have made drastic strides to improve the caliber of talent on the roster under head coach Josh Heupel. Offensively, most knew Heupel and his staff would attract elite talent, though on the defensive side of the football, Heupel's ability to land blue-chip prospects has been nothing short of impressive.

In today’s case, the Vols were listed in the top five schools for a standout class of 2026 edge rushers. Four-star Anthony “Poppa” Jones released a top schools list on Monday that included Tennessee.

The Vols are joined by Michigan, Washington, Arizona State, and UCLA. According to ON3, the edge rusher is a 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame. He attends Crean Lutheran in Irvine, California. According to ON3 Industry Ranking, he is rated 211 nationally and is the 19th edge in the nation.

Tennessee has recruited well out of the state of California including landing arguably their biggest prospect ever in Nico Iamaleava who is the current starting quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers. Tennessee already has two commits in the class of 2026 including five-star Faizon Brandon and four-star Carson Sneed. However, they have yet to land a defensive player.

Make sure to keep this recruitment in mind as the 2026 class is starting to heat up following the commitment of Brandon Faison.

Other Tennessee News:

• Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel Previews Matchup vs NC State
• Tennessee Volunteers Look Like True College Football Contenders
• Josh Heupel Updates Tennessee Injury Report - Rickey Gibson Available vs NC State

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