Riley Williams, nation's No. 2 tight end, down to 3, eliminates in-state Oregon Ducks

And then there were three.

Central Catholic High School (Oregon) star Riley Williams, the nation's No. 2 tight end, trimmed his list to a final four of Alabama, Miami, Ohio State and Oregon earlier this month. 

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound jumbo pass-catcher also set up official visits to all four of his finalists - Alabama (June 3), Ohio State (June 10), Miami (June 17) and Oregon (June 24).

But on Monday, Williams indicated he trimmed the Ducks from his list and won't be taking his final scheduled official visit, a decision he informed the Oregon coaching staff of that day. 

Instead, he will be making a decision on July 1st. 

Williams is the No. 1 recruit in the state of Oregon and one of the highest-rated prospects in state history.

For many months, Oregon was presumed to be Williams' favorite.

He is the younger brother of Oregon wide receiver Korbin Williams, and also has two uncles who competed at the University of Oregon.

However, Williams recently admitted that he's begun to strongly consider the possibility of leaving the state for college.

That push was further solidified following his Alabama trip.

"There were a lot of things... the history, of course, the campus - it was beautiful," he said. "I enjoyed the town of Tuscaloosa. It was a nice, condensed area. The coaches and the players, as soon as I stepped foot on campus and talked to them, I felt automatically like I was a part of that family. I've mentioned it before... in my recruiting process I put the sense of family atmosphere as the No. 1 of where I'm going to go and they definitely showed me that."

In fact, Williams felt Alabama had done enough to become a serious contender the rest of the way. 

"Honestly, they don't really need to do much, because that sense of a last visit is 'best for last,' I don't believe in that," he said. "I'm an open-minded kid. They don't need to do anything, I didn't really want to leave. It was a great visit, for sure." 

Subsequent visits to fellow contenders Ohio State and Miami also gave Williams an in-depth look at his top choices.

Alabama "wowed" Williams, but don't count out Ohio State and Miami, either, as he has spoken highly of all three programs.

Expect a battle to the end - but one that will no longer include the Ducks.

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