Five-Star Quarterback Recruit Ryder Lyons New Favorite: USC Trojans Over BYU, Oregon Ducks?

The USC Trojans find themselves in a prime spot to land one of the best players in the 2026 recruiting cycle, five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons. USC coach Lincoln Riley has a big chance to impress Lyons with his official visit just weeks away.

Oct 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans fell behind in the recruitment of 2026 five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons after flipping four-star quarterback Jonas Williams from Oregon earlier this year.

However, USC coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans have began to regain ground in Lyons' recruitment just a couple weeks before his official visit on June 6.

St. Bonaventure's Dylan Dunst tackles Folsom quarterback Ryder Lyons during the fourth quarter of the CIF-State Division 1-A state championship bowl at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. St. Bonaventure lost 20-14. / JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK

Lyons spoke with 247Sports about how his most recent visit to USC last month went and how aggressive the Trojans are pursuing him.

"Right when Keenyi Pepe committed, they were even pushing me more. It was a fun environment for sure. I have a great relationship with (quarterbacks) coach. We're very close and I love coach Huard. I've been knowing him for awhile because of Walker, so it's been great. He was the original coach recruiting me at USC, but coach (Lincoln) Riley was the first one to offer me," Lyons said.

Despite the Trojans holding Williams' commitment in the 2026 recruiting class, the five-star quarterback Lyons isn't phased or deterred by his fellow quarterback's presence in the recruiting class. Lyons credited that to the fact his enrollment date isn't until 2027 due to an LDS mission that he will be serving in.

"I know they have a quarterback committed for 2026, but not in 2027. So I know they look at me as a 2027, so the 2026 commit doesn't affect me," Lyons said.

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Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With a plan to enroll in 2027, a commitment from Lyons would go a long way in securing the top talent in the recruiting class of 2027. Meanwhile, USC's 2026 class is ranked No. 1 currently ahead of No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Notre Dame. It's been a mixed bag for the Trojans lately on the recruiting trail. The bad news? A decommit from five-star linebacker recruit Xavier Griffin. The good news? A commitment from four-star offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe.

The No. 4 quarterback and No. 1 player in the state fo California, Lyons said that he doesn't have a set date for his commitment and could wind up not taking all his visits. That bodes well for USC's chances as the Trojans host Lyons for his first official visit of the summer on June 6.

"I think I could decide before the visits, to be honest," Lyons said. "But I do know, it will be before the season. So I'm saying July, but it could happen tomorrow, too. I'm not going to say for sure."

It has basically come down to a three-team race for the five-star quarterback. USC is battling it out with the Oregon Ducks and BYU Cougars for Lyons' services. Oregon will host Lyons on June 13, followed by a visit to BYU on June 20.

USC still holds two crystal ball predictions from Tom Loy and Greg Biggins of 247Sports, meanwhile Pete Nakos and Steve Wiltfong of On3 favor Oregon for the California native.

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