Auburn landed defensive tackle Jayson Jones out of the transfer portal Friday. Jones is a highly sought-after defensive player coming from the Oregon Ducks.
Jones announced he was entering the portal on Dec. 15 and immediately got offers from Auburn and Miami, among others. His former head coach at Oregon, Mario Cristobal, is the newest head coach at Miami, making them a destination of interest for Jones.
However, playing at Auburn allows him to stay near his hometown of Calera, Alabama.
Jones is a former 4-star prospect out of high school and was tabbed as the No. 3 defensive tackle in the state of Alabama. He also played offensive tackle in high school but has only seen action at DT in college.
The highly valued DT received 20 scholarship offers out of high school. Jones signed with Oregon over schools such as Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and others. He originally committed to the Tide before flipping to the Ducks.
Jones played his true freshman season at Oregon in 2021. He signed with the Ducks in 2020, but he did not play in that COVID-shortened season. The 2020 season does not count as a year of eligibility for Jones, so he will have three years of eligibility and a redshirt season to use at Auburn.
The 6-foot-6 sophomore played in all 13 games for Oregon during his freshman campaign. He tallied 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks on the year.
Jones is the second DT Auburn has picked up this offseason. He comes in alongside 3-star Enyce Sledge, adding plenty of size up front for the Tiger defense. Both Jones and Sledge are on the upside of 320 pounds and 6-foot-3.
With a full college season under his belt, Jones has proved he can be a difference-maker on Saturdays. Jones is another player to help lead teammates like Sledge and be an example for them.
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