Riley Williams Talks Cristobal, Picking Miami Over Alabama
During the Under Armour Future 50 event, Miami Hurricanes commitment Riley Williams was interviewed by members of the media. He provided many details about his recruitment, as well as where he’s at now. That’s where the interview begins.
Regarding his transfer to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, Williams was clearly happy about his decision to make the move.
“I actually just transferred to IMG,” Williams said. “Just got here a few days ago. So, I stayed in my dorm last night. Really, just ready to develop myself so I get an easy move over to the college lifestyle.”
While at IMG, Williams will have a fellow Miami commitment as his roommate.
“I did, yeah, Jayden Wayne. We’re actually rooming together next month. So, yeah, we’ll be rooming together. I’ve known Jayden for a little bit.”
Wayne and Williams were actually on an AAU basketball team when they were younger, so it’s a unique reunion across the country for both players. Wayne is from the state of Washington and Williams hails from Oregon.
As for now being a Miami commitment, there’s much to unpack, beginning with the primary reason why he made the decision to choose the Hurricanes.
“Really, a major key factor in my commitment was (head) coach (Mario) Cristobal. You know, I’ve known him for a while due to him recruiting me at Oregon. And, my older brother played for him at Oregon. So, he played under Cristobal. So I’ve gotten comments from him about how Cristobal is.
“I’ve known him since I want to say, about eighth grade. So, it’s really been a strong relationship with him.“
Cristobal provided a major factor for the Hurricanes winning the Williams recruitment. The tradition of Miami’s tight ends also played a major role as well.
“Oh man, I mean, ‘Tight end U.’ You see all the tight ends that have gone through Miami, gotten to the next level and have been successful. I mean, obviously you know, I can’t help but picture myself doing the same thing.”
Great catch during a corner route by #Miami commitment @ri_will_ - #TheU pic.twitter.com/mpwZEKfeNt
— All Hurricanes (@AllHurricanes) July 17, 2022
Williams ended up selecting Cristobal and Miami, but he had plenty of schools to choose from. Here’s what he said about his visits prior to making the Hurricanes his final choice.
“Yeah, let’s see, I took two other official visits. I took one to Ohio State and I took one to Alabama. It was tough. It was a close race. It was between Alabama and Miami, but in the end…it was that relationship that kind of sealed the deal for me.”
As for how impactful the official visit to Coral Gables was for Williams, the following quote says it all.
“I’d say, probably…two or three days after my official visit.”
Talking specifics, Williams gushed about his time on the University of Miami campus as a whole.
“I mean everything. You can’t beat Miami. The city really. There are so many opportunities there, as well as the players. My host was Elijah Arroyo. You know, he treated me like family.
“Jaleel (Skinner) always reaches out to me on social media and says ‘What’s up?’ and stuff. I really just felt like part of the (Miami) family.”
Regarding the overall recruitment from the Miami coaching staff, Williams liked how they handled it.
“Uh, they were consistent. I’ll say that for sure. They were consistent in showing love. (Tight ends) coach (Stephen) Field has been like my No. 1 supporter as a coach. My recruitment, since Day 1, since he first started hitting me up, again, I’m going to say it again. It feels like family.”
Finally, talking about how the Hurricanes utilize the tight ends was another positive for Miami recruiting Williams.
“Ah man, watching that spring game. They threw to the tight end a lot. I was like, honestly I’ve never seen…I’ve gone to a couple of Oregon spring games. Watching them (the Hurricanes) compared to Oregon’s spring game, the tight end was utilized a lot.
“I love it! I mean, I’m a tight end so of course, like, it’s really like an eye opener.”
AllHurricanes.com is your home for all things Miami Hurricanes football, recruiting, basketball and other athletics, all the time. Follow along on social media at @AllHurricanes on Twitter and All Hurricanes on Facebook for round-the-clock news and analysis.
