2023 top-100 recruit Riley Williams picks up Michigan State offer
Michigan State extended an offer Wednesday to Portland (Ore.) Central Catholic four-star tight end Riley Williams.
Williams is the No. 100 recruit in the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Williams holds offers from over a dozen schools, including Florida State, Ohio State, Oregon, Oregon State, USC and Utah.
The Portland native has many connections to the Ducks program. His uncles Emery Barnes and Ronald Williams played for Oregon, and Barnes is in the school’s athletic Hall of Fame. His older brother Korbin Williams is also a wide receiver for the Oregon.
Riley Williams is a big-time prospect
While Williams ranks as the No. 100 recruit in the On3 Consensus, On3 views him much more highly.
The tight end slots in at No. 34 in the 2023 On300, and made a jump of 20 spots in the most recent release of the rankings.
On3 National Recruiting Analyst Gerry Hamilton wrote about Williams when that release dropped and gave him high praise.
“The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder is a fluid athlete at the position with an exceptional catch radius,” Hamilton said. “He’s a fast starter with the speed to work down the field, along with the agility to make the first defender miss after the catch. Williams saw his stock explode this summer, and has added to that rising stock this season. He’s added six Power 5 offers since June, including USC and Ohio State. Oregon is very much a factor in this recruitment with an older brother on the Ducks roster.”
On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power later said that Williams may make a run at the No. 1 tight end ranking in the country.
“We were very impressed with Williams’ junior video,” Power said. “He’s dominating at the catch point and coming down with impressive one-handed grabs while also showing ability after the catch. We also see Williams make plays on defense as a pass rusher. Both Robinson and Williams are big, athletic targets in the pass game. It should be fun to track those two over the next year.”