Miami beats Alabama and Ohio State for 4-star TE Riley Williams

Mario Cristobal‘s restocking of the tight end room at Miami continues. The Hurricanes’ first-year head coach made another recruiting splash on Friday, landing four-star Portland (Ore.) Central Catholic tight end Riley Williams.

The No. 61 overall prospect and No. 2 tight end in the On3 Consensus chose ‘The U’ over Alabama and Ohio State.

“Miami is the school for me,” Williams told On3. “My relationship with Coach Cristobal played a huge role in my decision. Over time, you see how real people are, and I have known Coach Cristobal for a while, and he is genuine. He has been the same person from the beginning. Coach Cristobal is a great guy, a great coach, and he is everything I was looking for in a coach. He was a huge factor for me.”

Cristobal’s connections to the university and the city played a major role, and his recruitment of Williams during his tenure at both Oregon and Miami won out in the end.

“I believe in him because he has been there and done that,” Williams added. “He played there, he won there, and he knows what it takes for Miami to be great. He has competed with greats there, he knows what it takes to put Miami on top, and I know he will get Miami back to the top. He will get his guys and win at Miami.”

Riley Williams knew after his visit where he wanted to be

Williams made official visits to each of his three finalists — and was supposed to make his final trip to Oregon last weekend. But after returning from Coral Gables, he had made up his mind, canceling the Oregon trip. Everything clicked with the Hurricanes.

“I knew after the visits that it was Miami. I had great visits to Alabama, Miami, and Ohio State, but it came down to Alabama and Miami,” he said. “I compared the two schools, and Miami came out on top. I knew I loved Coach Cristobal, but after taking my official visit to Miami, I felt it was perfect for me. From the staff to the city to the education to their tight end production to what they are building, makes Miami stand out. It is just the right place for me all around. Everything is perfect for what I want in a school.”