The Oregon State Beavers effectively mined the NCAA transfer portal last year to bolster the football roster.

And if Wednesday’s news is any indication, it’s going to become a trend of the Jonathan Smith era.

USC Trojans wide receiver transfer Devon Williams, the nation’s No. 1 athlete in the class of 2018, is set to enroll at Oregon State University and is on campus Wednesday to finalize that decision, according to a source close to his recruitment.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound pass-catcher, originally out of Antelope Valley High School (Lancaster, California), was rated the nation’s No. 1 athlete by Rivals and the nation’s No. 6 wide receiver by 247Sports in the 2018 recruiting class.

During his initial recruitment, Williams was widely rumored to be an Oregon Ducks lean, joining the commitment group chat and having artwork made to announce his commitment late in the recruiting process.

But he had a change of heart on national signing day in February 2018 and announced his commitment to the Trojans in a nationally-televised broadcast on ESPN.

When Williams entered the transfer portal earlier this month, he scheduled September 14 visits to both Oregon State and Oregon, but after his afternoon stop in Corvallis he elected to remain at Oregon State to better acquaint himself with the program.

The Beavers have an open scholarship available, so his addition to the football roster will not require any changes to the current roster.

Williams must sit out this season, but should be available as a redshirt sophomore next fall.

As a true freshman, Williams hauled in four catches for 87 yards and a score and opened his sophomore season with one reception for 11 yards in a 45-20 victory over Stanford.

Last year, Oregon State added multiple transfers into the fold, highlighted by Nebraska quarterback Tristan Gebbia, wide receiver Tyjon Lindsey and linebacker Avery Roberts, Oklahoma defensive end/outside linebacker Addison Gumbs, Arizona center Nathan Eldridge and Washington State safety Myles Green-Richards.

-- Andrew Nemec