Cougar Country Shakes: Five-Star QB Ryder Lyons Stuns Nation, Commits to BYU!
The biggest uncommitted quarterback prospect in the country, five-star sensation Ryder Lyons, has made his monumental decision, and its sending shockwaves through the college football world: he's heading to BYU!
The Folsom, California native dropped his bombshell announcement live on the "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday, marking one of the most significant recruiting victories in BYU football history. "To be honest, I'm just so blessed," Lyons shared with McAfee. "I'm so blessed, but I'm just appreciative. It's been incredible. It's been a long journey. I got my first scholarship in eighth grade, so we've been at this for a while."
Lyons, who is ranked as the No. 19 overall prospect and the No. 5 QB in the 247Sports Composite, had narrowed his choices to the Cougars and Oregon. His decision came after a recent visit to Oregon on June 13 and a crucial final visit to BYU over the past weekend.
"He's been pretty thorough and he narrowed it down to two schools. It's not like he's pulling a hat out of a bag with 15 schools that are just logos up there," said Folsom coach Paul Doherty. "He said no to Ohio State; Ohio State just won the national freaking championship. He's had to do it all that and navigate it. so I guess my best perspective is I'm proud of him for being the kid that he is and staying pretty grounded and being thorough with the process."
A Historic Haul for the Cougars
Should Lyons officially sign, he would become BYU's second-highest-rated prospect of the modern recruiting era, trailing only fellow five-star quarterback Ben Olson from the Class of 2002. (Though it's worth noting Olson never played a down at BYU, redshirting and then transferring to UCLA after serving a two-year Mormon mission). This commitment caps off a stellar recruiting trail by signing AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2025. It seems BYU is becoming a destination for elite talent!
With a player of Lyons' caliber, NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) was naturally a factor in his decision.
"It's hard," he admitted to McAfee. "It's hard for sure. I do have someone who handles it for me. I have an agent, I have a whole team. But it definitely makes it just confusing. You're thrown a lot of money from a lot of different places, but I think you've got to, obviously, stay humble and money's not the biggest part. The biggest part is making it to the NFL, because thats where the serious money is. That's where the long-term money is."
Dual-Threat Dominance and Character to Match
As a junior at Folsom, Lyons showcased his incredible dual-threat abilities, throwing for an impressive 3,011 yards with 46 touchdowns and just six intercptions. He also proved a force on the ground, rushing 118 times for 585 yards and 14 more scores. Whle he was once considered a prime candidate to stay in-state and play for USC, he's now set to join BYU after serving a one-year mission.
Folsom coach Paul Doherty spoke glowingly about his star pupil's character. "I think they're getting a great person," Doherty said. "I think he's genuinely a great kid. I think he's committed to what he wants to do. He wants to play quarterback at a high level, he's shown that he's certainly capable and he is a kid that is owning every step of progress that's necessary. He's not a kid that's stuck up or entitles or snobby or gonna blame someone else or pretend he knows something that he doesn't. He'll ask questions if he doesn't know and he'll work on it, he'll own it."
This commitment is a monumental win for BYU, signaling a new era for the Cougars as they continue to build their program with top-tier talent.
