Will Ryder Lyons Choose BYU? National Recruiting Analyst Weighs In
SALT LAKE CITY – All eyes on the recruiting trail are on five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons.
BYU football is preparing to host the talented signal-caller from Folsom, California, this weekend. The visit comes one week after Lyons’ official visit to the University of Oregon and his comment to Rivals that “It’s decision time”.
The five-star prospect that the 247Sports Composite rates as the fifth quarterback in the country and the No. 19 overall prospect. However, 247Sports National Recruiting Editor Brandon Huffman believes Lyons is the best in the 2026 cycle.
Huffman hopped on with “DJ & PK” on the KSL Sports Zone on Tuesday to discuss the recruitment of Lyons.
“I’ve said for two years that I think he’s the best quarterback in the country. I know he’s a top-five quarterback nationally. He’s the number one player in California. For my money, I will take him as the best quarterback in the country,” Huffman said to the KSL Sports Zone.
Last season at Folsom High School, Ryder Lyons put up huge numbers, earning him the Gatorade Player of the Year in California.
The 6-foot-2.5, 215-pound prospect passed for 3,011 yards, 46 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. Lyons completed 68% of his 310 pass attempts.
The dual-threat quarterback also rushed for another 14 touchdowns and totaled 585 yards on 118 carries last season.
@ryderlyons @Klein Design #ryderlyons ♬ original sound – Ryder Lyons
Will he end up in Provo?
“It was down to BYU, USC, and Oregon,” Huffman said. “His brother (Walker Lyons) is at USC, and then he was supposed to take a visit there two weeks ago and canceled it. There’s talk that it may happen in the fall, because he’s not enrolling until 2027, there’s a little bit of flexibility. But I have maintained for a while that this was a BYU/Oregon battle.
“I have said more than anybody in the media, do not sleep and do not discount BYU’s efforts with him. And now they get their shot. They get the last visit, and they’ve got all the big guns visiting this weekend as well.”
Along with Lyons, BYU is expected to host uncommitted prospects such as interior offensive lineman Jax Tanner, edge rusher Prince Williams, Olympus linebacker Adam Bywater, Orem’s Lopeti Moala, and many BYU commits, including four-star tight end Brock Harris, whom Lyons was with during his spring visit to BYU in March.
Lyons, a star both on and off the field with his large social media following and aura, will have a tough decision to make.
BYU was the first program to offer Lyons in December 2021. Ever since, the Cougars have made him a top priority in their recruiting efforts for the 2026 cycle.
If Lyons does pick BYU, Huffman shared his thoughts on why the Cougars could be the landing spot for the blue-chip prospect.
“I think there are a couple of reasons in play. He really likes Aaron Roderick. He really likes the direction that BYU is going,” said Huffman, who has covered recruiting since 2003. “I think he has seen that after the 2024 season, where they got their feet under themselves and the way that they competed, not just in the Big 12, but as a nationally-ranked team throughout the year.
“Kalani (Sitake) is a defensive guy, and that’s always a concern when you’re a quarterback. If I go play for a defensive guy, is his focus going to be on winning the game with defense, or is he going to open up the offense? And I think that this last year with Jake Retzlaff at quarterback, they showed a penchant to be exciting on offense. I think that really answered a lot of questions.
“Obviously, having a guy like Zach Wilson go number two in the NFL draft a few years ago, having a number of quarterbacks in recent years get drafted and get the opportunity in the NFL, that helps. But it’s also the direction of the program that it’s trending up on a national scale.”
Safe to say, it’s a massive weekend for BYU football, hosting the five-star Ryder Lyons.
“This could end up being the single-most significant recruit Kalani Sitake has ever gotten in his 10 years at BYU,” said Huffman. “So all eyes are on Provo, not just with BYU fans, but I would say college football fans in general are tracking this one.”
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
