The Miami Hurricanes’ search for a tight end in the 2022 class has taken them all the way to the West Coast, where TE coach Stephen Field has his sights set on Liberty (NV) 3-star ATH Anthony Jones, and Field offered the two-way player back in late March. Aside from hearing the good news from Field, Jones also received a congratulations from another Las Vegas star tight end that has called “The U” home the past three years.
“When I first got in touch with coach Field, he told me he loved my film,” Jones said. “Then Brevin (Jordan) texted me and he was telling me that he was watching my film with coach Field and told him to offer me, that I was the next big thing from Vegas. So it was a really special moment to get offered, it’s ‘Tight End U’ over there so it’s really big.”
Over the past two months, Jones’ relationship with the Hurricanes has only grown, and he mainly credits that to his connection with Field.
“Coach Field is a really laid back guy and I’ve seen the work he’s done with Brevin. He came in during Brevin’s second year and developed him from there on out, so he’s done a really good job,” Jones said. “He told me that he really liked me fitting in the system and he was telling me I could be the next big tight end over there and possibly play as a freshman. I can’t wait to get out there and talk to him in person, but it’s been going really good between us so far.”
While Jones was recently in Fort Lauderdale for a 7-on-7 tournament two months ago, he has never been to Miami, which is why he’s made seeing UM a priority in his recruitment: Jones will officially visit the Hurricanes the first weekend after the dead period opens up on June 4th.
“I haven’t heard too much else about the school (aside from the TE tradition), that’s why I want to go out there and see it for myself,” Jones said. “I just know that a lot of greats came out of there, Michael Irvin being one of them. At Liberty, we kind of run a similar offense, so I feel like it would be an easy transition for me if that was the school I end up going to.”
The 6’5” 240 pound prospect will also be bringing his mother along on the trip to take in UM’s campus and help evaluate the program. What is Jones going to be looking for on his first visit to Coral Gables?
“Just meeting the coaching staff is what’s really big for my mom and I. Just getting to know them and talk to them in person over those couple of those days are going to be really big,” Jones said. “Just learning what their intentions for me are, asking them the questions I want answers to in person, and then going out and seeing the city and getting the feel of everything and seeing if that’s somewhere I could see myself living.
“Every school is going to tell you all the great things about the program, so that’s why it’s very important to go on the visits and actually see everything for yourself. So I’m taking everything day by day and I’m going to wait until after the visits to sit down and evaluate all the schools with my mom. I’ll have everything figured out soon after my visits I hope.”
The Liberty star is currently planning a summer slate of official visits, with trips also already set to Texas (June 11th) and Oregon (June 25th), and Jones is still working to set one up with USC as well. Still, Jones does not rule out taking a 5th and final OV during his senior season this fall.
“I might be setting up a visit later on during my season - if I do set that up, I would make a decision sometime after that visit,” Jones said. “But as of right now, I’m not too sure when I’ll decide because I want to sit down and evaluate everything after my visits and I don’t know when I’ll have my mind made up. If I had to pick, then it would probably be during the season, because I’m going to enroll early wherever I go, so I would want to know where I want to go before my season’s over.”
In the past, Jones originally committed to the Washington Huskies in December of 2020, but backed off that pledge this February to further explore his suitors.
“My commitment was just really early on in my recruitment and once I committed, I didn’t really give any other schools the opportunity to reach out and build a relationship with me. I just felt I committed way too early and I wanted to see other schools,” Jones said. “But Washington, I’ll always have love for the program, they were the first big school to offer me. I don’t talk to them as much anymore, but I’m not ruling out any schools yet. I just wanted to take my time this time and really evaluate all my different options.”
Jones will be officially visiting Texas the weekend after Miami, and he has a unique tie to the Texas program: Longhorns’ DC Pete Kwiatkowski previously coached at Washington and was the coach that originally offered Jones a scholarship with the Huskies last year. With Kwiatkowski now at Texas, he and Jones have maintained their strong bond, and Jones appreciates the quality of coaches that new HC Steve Sarkisian has surrounded himself with in his first season on the job.
“Coach PK, I still have that really close relationship with him. Then I’ve heard a lot of really good things about coach Sark and have talked to him a couple times, he’s talked with my mom too,” Jones said. “Him coming from Alabama and all his success there, I think he’d be a really good coach for me to play under. He also brought coach Jeff Banks over with him from Alabama. He has a lot of experience on the staff and has brought on a lot of good coaches that I think I could work with.”
While his junior season was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, Jones made the move to transfer from Arbor View to Liberty over the offseason to finish out his high school career in 2021. As he’s mainly played on defense during his high school career, Jones has worked hard during his time off to improve his game as a tight end and anticipates being a big part of the Patriots' offense this fall while also playing a hybrid rush end/outside linebacker role during his senior season. As for his future position at the next level, Jones admits that depends on which school he ends up at, and he doesn’t currently have a preference for offense or defense.
“It’s kind of 50/50, some schools want me at tight end, some want me at defense, and some tell me I could play on either side of the ball,” Jones said. “As of right now, I don’t have a preference for offense or defense because Liberty runs a different defense than my old high school, so I want to see how I fit into this defense since it’s more of a college style defense.”
Ultimately, though, Jones feels his recruitment will come down to relationships, and the school that builds the best connection with him will likely earn his signature in the end.
“The relationships are really the biggest thing for me, because I want to have that trust in the coaches and believe what they’re telling me is true,” Jones said. “Also, I either want to major in communications or business, so I want to see how the school would have my academic plan set up. Another big thing for me is seeing if I can play as a true freshman. Obviously I’m going to go out there and work for my position, but some schools you don’t really have the option to come in and play right away because they already have an established senior. Just knowing if I have a shot to play as a true freshman is the last big thing for me.”
“When I first got in touch with coach Field, he told me he loved my film,” Jones said. “Then Brevin (Jordan) texted me and he was telling me that he was watching my film with coach Field and told him to offer me, that I was the next big thing from Vegas. So it was a really special moment to get offered, it’s ‘Tight End U’ over there so it’s really big.”
Over the past two months, Jones’ relationship with the Hurricanes has only grown, and he mainly credits that to his connection with Field.
“Coach Field is a really laid back guy and I’ve seen the work he’s done with Brevin. He came in during Brevin’s second year and developed him from there on out, so he’s done a really good job,” Jones said. “He told me that he really liked me fitting in the system and he was telling me I could be the next big tight end over there and possibly play as a freshman. I can’t wait to get out there and talk to him in person, but it’s been going really good between us so far.”
While Jones was recently in Fort Lauderdale for a 7-on-7 tournament two months ago, he has never been to Miami, which is why he’s made seeing UM a priority in his recruitment: Jones will officially visit the Hurricanes the first weekend after the dead period opens up on June 4th.
“I haven’t heard too much else about the school (aside from the TE tradition), that’s why I want to go out there and see it for myself,” Jones said. “I just know that a lot of greats came out of there, Michael Irvin being one of them. At Liberty, we kind of run a similar offense, so I feel like it would be an easy transition for me if that was the school I end up going to.”
The 6’5” 240 pound prospect will also be bringing his mother along on the trip to take in UM’s campus and help evaluate the program. What is Jones going to be looking for on his first visit to Coral Gables?
“Just meeting the coaching staff is what’s really big for my mom and I. Just getting to know them and talk to them in person over those couple of those days are going to be really big,” Jones said. “Just learning what their intentions for me are, asking them the questions I want answers to in person, and then going out and seeing the city and getting the feel of everything and seeing if that’s somewhere I could see myself living.
“Every school is going to tell you all the great things about the program, so that’s why it’s very important to go on the visits and actually see everything for yourself. So I’m taking everything day by day and I’m going to wait until after the visits to sit down and evaluate all the schools with my mom. I’ll have everything figured out soon after my visits I hope.”
The Liberty star is currently planning a summer slate of official visits, with trips also already set to Texas (June 11th) and Oregon (June 25th), and Jones is still working to set one up with USC as well. Still, Jones does not rule out taking a 5th and final OV during his senior season this fall.
“I might be setting up a visit later on during my season - if I do set that up, I would make a decision sometime after that visit,” Jones said. “But as of right now, I’m not too sure when I’ll decide because I want to sit down and evaluate everything after my visits and I don’t know when I’ll have my mind made up. If I had to pick, then it would probably be during the season, because I’m going to enroll early wherever I go, so I would want to know where I want to go before my season’s over.”
In the past, Jones originally committed to the Washington Huskies in December of 2020, but backed off that pledge this February to further explore his suitors.
“My commitment was just really early on in my recruitment and once I committed, I didn’t really give any other schools the opportunity to reach out and build a relationship with me. I just felt I committed way too early and I wanted to see other schools,” Jones said. “But Washington, I’ll always have love for the program, they were the first big school to offer me. I don’t talk to them as much anymore, but I’m not ruling out any schools yet. I just wanted to take my time this time and really evaluate all my different options.”
Jones will be officially visiting Texas the weekend after Miami, and he has a unique tie to the Texas program: Longhorns’ DC Pete Kwiatkowski previously coached at Washington and was the coach that originally offered Jones a scholarship with the Huskies last year. With Kwiatkowski now at Texas, he and Jones have maintained their strong bond, and Jones appreciates the quality of coaches that new HC Steve Sarkisian has surrounded himself with in his first season on the job.
“Coach PK, I still have that really close relationship with him. Then I’ve heard a lot of really good things about coach Sark and have talked to him a couple times, he’s talked with my mom too,” Jones said. “Him coming from Alabama and all his success there, I think he’d be a really good coach for me to play under. He also brought coach Jeff Banks over with him from Alabama. He has a lot of experience on the staff and has brought on a lot of good coaches that I think I could work with.”
While his junior season was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, Jones made the move to transfer from Arbor View to Liberty over the offseason to finish out his high school career in 2021. As he’s mainly played on defense during his high school career, Jones has worked hard during his time off to improve his game as a tight end and anticipates being a big part of the Patriots' offense this fall while also playing a hybrid rush end/outside linebacker role during his senior season. As for his future position at the next level, Jones admits that depends on which school he ends up at, and he doesn’t currently have a preference for offense or defense.
“It’s kind of 50/50, some schools want me at tight end, some want me at defense, and some tell me I could play on either side of the ball,” Jones said. “As of right now, I don’t have a preference for offense or defense because Liberty runs a different defense than my old high school, so I want to see how I fit into this defense since it’s more of a college style defense.”
Ultimately, though, Jones feels his recruitment will come down to relationships, and the school that builds the best connection with him will likely earn his signature in the end.
“The relationships are really the biggest thing for me, because I want to have that trust in the coaches and believe what they’re telling me is true,” Jones said. “Also, I either want to major in communications or business, so I want to see how the school would have my academic plan set up. Another big thing for me is seeing if I can play as a true freshman. Obviously I’m going to go out there and work for my position, but some schools you don’t really have the option to come in and play right away because they already have an established senior. Just knowing if I have a shot to play as a true freshman is the last big thing for me.”
