When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from 1-10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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THE STORYLINE
Anthony Jones committed to Washington in mid-December and since that time there have been some coaching changes with the Huskies but the three-star defensive end said recently that he’s started to develop strong bonds with other coaches on staff.
The Henderson (Nev.) Liberty two-way standout who also plays tight end said he was close with Pete Kwiatkowski (who has since left for Texas) but that he was stepping up conversations with assistants Derham Cato and Ikaika Malloe and that his commitment was firm.
But only a day after Oregon offered him, Jones backed off his pledge to Washington and said he wanted to talk to all the programs that showed him the most interest and then hopefully take visits once the dead period is over. It might not open until after May 31.
Last week in Las Vegas, Jones said Cal, Oregon, UCLA, Maryland, UNLV, Boise State and Colorado have reached out. Now with his recruitment open, other programs could get involved as well.
LOCAL REACTION
“Pete Kwiatkowski was the main recruiter for Jones when he made his commitment to Washington this past December. Now that he's at Texas, and Bob Gregory has taken over as the Huskies' defensive coordinator, there could be some scheme changes that would have Jones possibly at a different position than Kwiatkowski saw him. His recent offer from Oregon would signal that more schools will be soon to offer making it a wise choice for Jones to step back and open up his recruitment.” - Lars Hanson, DawgReport.com
Sting factor: 4
NATIONAL REACTION
“Jimmy Lake’s first full recruiting class in 2021 was strong with five-star Sam Huard leading the way and some other in-state standouts like Owen Prentice and Will Latu. There were also missed in-state opportunities as five-star receiver Emeka Egbuka went to Ohio State and it’s expected five-star defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau will leave the state as well.
“So heading into 2022 some early recruiting wins would be vital for Lake and his staff and it was going well as Jones, Sir Mells and Germie Bernard, teammates at Henderson Liberty, all committed to the Huskies. Mells and Bernard could definitely stay in the class because Washington is a prime location in the Pac-12 but Jones’ decision might influence his friends and teammates as well. If those players look around, too, then that would not be ideal. Losing Jones is a bump in the road but losing all three would be really rough as the Huskies look to stay among the top teams in the conference.” - Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Analyst
Sting factor: 6
