Cougs Daily

BYU Makes it Official with Coveted Quarterback Ryder Lyons

Casey Lundquist|
BYU commit Ryder Lyons attends the rivalry game against Utah
BYU commit Ryder Lyons attends the rivalry game against Utah | BYU Photo

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BYU Cougars

BYU officially got their guy. On Wednesday, coveted quarterback Ryder Lyons signed with the BYU football program. There had been previous reports that Lyons would not sign today. Instead, he opted to sign in the afternoon with BYU. Lyons committed to BYU over fellow finalists Oregon and USC over the Summer. He also strongly considered Ole Miss, Ohio State, and Michigan.

Ryder Lyons: The Prospect

There is no overstating how important this recruiting win is for Aaron Roderick and his staff. Lyons reshapes the future of not only the BYU quarterback room, but the future of the BYU offense. Lyons will enroll at BYU in January of 2027 after he serves a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He will participate in Spring camp in preparation for the 2027 football season.

Lyons was coveted by pretty much every school in the country. While he narrowed his focus down to BYU, Oregon, and USC, there were schools like Ole Miss, Ohio State, and Michigan that were pushing to enter the Lyons sweepstakes. Lyons also picked up competing offers from the likes of Alabama, ASU, Auburn, Cal, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, North Carolina, Notre Dame, TCU, Utah, Washington, and Texas A&M in his recruitment.

It was BYU's relationship with Lyons that won out in the end. The BYU staff was able to pitch a path to the playoff, proven quarterback development, NIL, church affiliation, and more.

Ryder Lyons: The Film

So what makes Ryder Lyons such a coveted quarterback prospect? The term "dual-threat" is over-used a little bit in recruiting circles, but it is the only way to describe Lyons' skillset. Over the last three years, he has thrown for over 9,800 yards and run for more than 1,800 yards. He can punish defenses with either his arm or his legs. He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in California following the 2024 season.

Here's a sample of Lyons' escapability and mobility. He avoids the rush, buys time, then scrambles for one of the more ridiculous touchdowns you will see from a high school quarterback.

In the opinion of this author, Lyons' ability to create off-script is what separates him from other quarterback prospects. A play is never over when Lyons is under center. He has been compared to Zach Wilson, which is a great comparison, but his ability to extend plays reminds me a little bit of Caleb Williams.

Once he creates extra time for plays to develop, he is an accurate thrower on the run.

The downside to that playing style can be turnovers. However, Lyons has been good at protecting the football in the air. He has has thrown for 118 touchdowns to 23 interceptions as a starter at Folsom High School. He also has 52 rushing touchdowns over the last year, bringing his total TD/Int ratio to 7.4.

Importantly, he is also able to sit back and deliver the football from the pocket. While BYU will let him scramble around and create offense, he will also need to deliver the easy throws on time and on target.

Lyons has all the tools to be a fantastic quarterback in Aaron Roderick's offense.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.

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