Decision close for four-star DE Keanu Williams

Within hours of Troy Franklin's momentous commitment to the Ducks, the focus quickly shifted to “who’s next?” Excitement built as Oregon Director of High School Relations Don Johnson posted via Twitter “Northern California was great, headed to Southern California next.” Duck fans across Twitter, thrilled about the chance of welcoming yet another recruit to a potential historic class began to speculate on the identity of the mystery recruit to which Oregon coaches and commits were hinting at.

Some speculated that Keanu Williams might be the next to commit to Oregon. Ducks Sports Authority reached out to the 6-foot-5, 295-pounds 4-star defensive end from Clovis, CA. to see where he and Oregon stand and how close he is to committing.

“Oregon stands high on my board, with them reaching out to me everyday. Joe Salave’a is my lead recruiter. I honestly get along with all the coaches on the defensive staff,” Williams said.“I prefer to play [defensive end] in a 4-3 defense, but wherever I get playing time, I'll do it. Oregon brings academics, family and a winning atmosphere to the table.”

Although these qualities could be true of many places, Williams hinted at these factors being of particular interest at Oregon while also adding the importance of relationships and playing time when looking at a University.

Raised in Central California, which some would consider USC territory, Oregon still managed to stand out to a younger Williams. “Distance has never been an issue for me,” he said. “[My] first memory would be the national championship against Auburn.”

Although the Ducks lost the game Williams still recalls his first experience with Oregon Football and the lasting impact it left on him seeing a Pac12 team play in the National Championship Game.

Williams is a physical run support defensive end who models his game after Fletcher Cox and Warren Sapp. With a long wingspan and quick first steps off the line, he managed to accumulate 75 tackles and 8 sacks throughout his junior campaign while helping his team get into the second round of the CIF playoff. This upcoming season Williams plans to break Clovis High School football team sack record, which is currently eleven, then aims on enrolling early at whichever University he commits to.

While college football official visits have come to a halt, Williams has an idea of which Universities he wants to visit when the recruiting dead period is lifted. The four lucky programs are Oregon, USC, Stanford and UCLA. For Duck fans waiting to see if Williams is the mystery recruit, they’ll have to wait until “early July” for his commitment.