MOBILE, Ala. − Anthony Jones has a standard of the kind of player he wants to become. And as a freshman at St. Paul's Episcopal in Mobile, a picture of that standard was on the other sideline: Qua Russaw .
Russaw was everything Jones wanted to be. Russaw was big. Russaw had what Jones called "crazy" speed. Russaw had the explosion where he could barrel into a St. Paul's quarterback and knock his helmet cleanly off at first contact.
But even as Jones watched Russaw, who would eventually commit and sign with Alabama football and become the Crimson Tide 's starting wolf outside linebacker, Jones was not too far off. Jones was only a few months away from an Alabama offer of his own, one that placed him in Nick Saban's office as a 14-year-old , shaking and unable to speak.
Two full seasons later, as he prepares for his final set of spring practices before his senior season at St. Paul's, Jones has reached a level Russaw didn't.
Jones, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound edge rusher better known as "Tank," is a five-star defender, the No. 16 player in the 2026 recruiting class per 247Sports' composite rankings and the No. 2-ranked player in Alabama behind five-star wide receiver Cederian Morgan.
All that means for Jones, as he balances preparation with a high-profile recruitment that has no definitive end date set with Alabama in the mix, is he has a target on his back, something he knows Russaw experienced.
"You can't take a play off. That's basically it," Jones told The Tuscaloosa News. "You can't take a play off. The one play you take off, they're going to take advantage of it and get you."
Ham Barnett threw the book at Jones almost immediately. The St. Paul's football coach couldn't help it.
Jones was a 6-3, 215-pound freshman, one that Barnett described as "that tall kid" on St. Paul's campus he was waiting to utilize.
And from day one, Jones was used everywhere, from Jack and Will linebacker to defensive back and a as a true edge rusher on defense, to an in-line tight end and H-back, wide receiver and goal-line wildcat quarterback in goal-line situations on offense.
Jones' football approach was much simpler at first. He just loved hitting people, running past people and scoring touchdowns. As a freshman and sophomore, Jones said he was "just playing football," something that began to change into his junior season.
"Junior year, right now, I understand the game way more," Jones said. "Seeing different positions, playing both sides of the ball, I can see things better."
No matter where Jones lined up, he was consistent, Barnett said, with "great technique (and) great fundamentals." It didn't take long for Barnett to realize what he had, even if the player himself didn't.
"I think there's times where I don't think he realizes how big he is," Barnett said. "Even at practice, he might not go exactly how hard I want him to go, because I'm trying to help him reach his full potential. I'll get on him a little bit, and we have to kind of shut things down and get him off the field because he's unblockable.
"If that clicks completely, he can be somebody that is a first-round draft pick eventually."
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Jones doesn't come from a family of Division I athletes. His father played linebacker and defensive end at LeFlore High School in Mobile but didn't play at the college level.
So when Jones came home with offers from Mississippi State and Vanderbilt during eighth grade, before he had played a high school snap, it sparked something that was brand new to his entire family.
But from the jump, Jones and his family took a simple approach to what would eventually become a major recruitment.
"We're really chill, laid back," Jones said. "We just built relationships, basically. That's the main part: building relationships and keeping in touch with people."
Jones said this is the approach Alabama has taken, going from a program that "didn't know anybody" – with head coach Kalen DeBoer arriving before last season –in the state to a program he is seriously considering, helped by the "father-son relationship" he has cultivated with Crimson Tide outside linebackers coach Christian Robinson, with whom Jones said he talks every week.
"They are talking about national championships," Jones said of Alabama. "Like we need key pieces, like me, other players in my class, just to get back up to that stage."
That pitch has worked for the Crimson Tide, which has secured five commitments including Georgia five-star cornerback Jorden Edmonds and Gadsden four-star cornerback Zyan Gibson , who is the No. 4-ranked prospect in the state.
Alabama remains one of Jones' top schools. But his list isn't short, rattling off Michigan , Oregon , Miami, Florida, Auburn , LSU , USC and Texas A&M as contenders who have a lot of the same pitches as the Crimson Tide, just with different coaching styles and relationships.
With no set decision date, Jones does know what he wants in a program: one where he's comfortable and he can be developed, one where he can get to the NFL, one where his parents feel comfortable leaving him.
But whether he stays in state or leaves, Jones' mindset will remain: to represent a state he feels is extremely underrated and undervalued, one he thinks doesn't get much respect.
"I don't feel like I have to stay in state to represent my city," Jones said. "I just want to represent my city. I feel I will represent it good wherever I go."
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Where Alabama football stands for 2026 5-star Anthony Jones
