Top Uncommitted Quarterback Recruit Ryder Lyons To Pick Oregon Ducks Or BYU?

The Oregon Ducks are still searching for a quarterback commit in the class of 2026. Oregon coach Dan Lanning welcomed five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons to Eugene this past weekend for an official visit, coming a week after Lyons canceled his official visit to USC. As of now, it seems as though Lyons has narrowed his search down to two schools, Oregon and BYU.

Lyons is of the LDS faith, meaning he will be taking an LDS mission trip upon graduating high school and his arrival to whichever college he chooses will be delayed, but that hasn’t deterred Lanning and offensive coordinator Will Stein from throwing the kitchen sink at Lyons to try and secure his signature.

The Oregon Ducks are currently No. 8 in the 2026 recruiting rankings according to On3. While signing Ryder Lyons wouldn't move the Ducks all the way to No. 1, a five-star quarterback would move the needle enough to see the Ducks potentially crack the top five.

On3’s Steve Wiltfong recently reported that he is still confident in his prediction for the Ducks to land Lyons, but he also notes that he still has a visit scheduled with BYU. BYU, known for their faith being interwoven into their university and into their sports, will have a bit of an advantage in that respect with Lyons.

Wiltfong also noted that no coach has recruited Lyons as hard as Stein.

Lyons, who is the quarterback for Folsom High School, tossed 46 touchdowns while throwing only six interceptions in his junior season. Lyons threw for 3011 yards in just 13 games while boasting a 68 percent completion percentage. Lyons found success on the ground as a dual-threat quarterback as well, amassing 585 yards on 118 carries in his junior season.

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Lyons was penned by many to be a shoo-in to sign with USC, but after former Oregon commit Jonas Williams flipped to the Trojans, Lyons seems to have cooled off on the idea of playing for USC coach Lincoln Riley.

Even though Lyons is now the top quarterback recruit left uncommitted in the class of 2026, the five-star prospect told Wiltfong and On3 that the Ducks were pushing for him earlier in the spring:

“They’ve been recruiting me the hardest probably, the whole time … how they’re recruiting, a lot of people like to say it’s all Phil Knight money, but they don’t really understand how good they recruit, their culture is probably one of the best I’ve seen. How they play as a team, how they interact with each other," Lyons told On3.

Ryder Lyons scrambling — St. Bonaventure High safety Dylan Dunst reaches for Folsom High quarterback Ryder Lyons during the CIF-State Division 1-A state championship bowl at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. The Seraphs lost 20-14. | JUAN CARLO/THE STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK

Oregon was a finalist for five-star quarterback Jared Curtis before he committed to Georgia. Can Lanning and the Ducks avoid more heartbreak and bring Lyons into the fold?

In addition to Lyons, Oregon has offered four-star quarterback recruit Matt Ponatoski and three-star quarterback Bryson Beaver.