Expect the unexpected when Folsom 5-star QB Ryder Lyons announces his college commitment Tuesday

California's top football recruit and quarterback, apparently will pick BYU, Oregon or USC on Tuesday, but don't be surprised if he calls an audible

Ryder Lyons throws a pass during Friday's 2024 opener against Long Beach Poly; The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Folsom High School quarterback will announce his college plans on Tuesday, June 24. / Photo by Todd Shurtleff

What makes Folsom High School quarterback Ryder Lyons just so much fun to watch — any top-tier athlete really — is the surprise factor. 

His ability to make plays — touchdowns, first downs out of nothing — his escapability and poise under fire truly makes him one of the most exciting high school football players we’ve watched in more than 40 years of covering the preps. 

So, it wouldn’t surprise us if Lyons figuratively scrambled well out of the pocket Tuesday when announcing his college commitment and did not pick BYU or Oregon or USC, which by most experts’ opinions are his favorite destinations. 

Why not join his best friend and top high school target Jameson Powell at Ole Miss, where the four-star wideout committed on Jan. 22?  

Why not land at one of college football's blue bloods, Ohio State, which hasn’t landed a quarterback yet from the Class of 2026, but has secured two of the nation’s top wide receivers, both from California juggernaut Mater Dei (Santa Ana),  Chris Henry Jr. and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt? 

Wouldn’t it just be like Lyons to break conventional thinking and norms to run past the only two schools he took official visits to, Oregon on June 13 and BYU (June 19)? 

The confident, rugged, elusive 6-foot-3, 220-pounder — think right-handed Steve Young — has the moxie to make a decision all on his own, and somehow make it work. 

Ryder Lyons (right) takes a moment to adjust his uniform. His teammate Jameson Powell (left) has caught 154 passes in two seasons from Lymons for 2,151 yards and 30 touchdowns. Powell has committed to Ole Miss. Lyons has Ole Miss as a finalist. / Photo by Todd Shurtleff

We saw that on opening night of the 2024 season, when he pulled off the 13-yard touchdown run of the year, side-stepping a half-dozen Long Beach Poly defenders, ran through two or three more tacklers, before trucking a safety at the goal line during a 63-20 home victory. 

RYDER LYONS | Gritty, revealing 2024 opening-game win

It was one of 14 touchdowns he rushed for as a junior after going for 23 as a sophomore, leading the Bulldogs to a California State Division 1-A championship. In that two-year span, Lyons has also completed 470 of 691 passes (68%) for 6,589 yards and 84 more TDs.  

HIGH INTENTIONS

As much as Folsom coach Paul Doherty wants Lyons to do the conventional play — throw the ball or run out of bounds — he knows, appreciates and adores Lyons’ gamesmanship. 

It’s all part of why Lyons is the No. 1 recruit of 2026 in California, according to 247Sports, and No. 13 player nationally and fourth-rated quarterback. He’s the highest-rated QB nationally not to commit. 

The unlikely 13-yard TD run against Poly is why Lyons is so coveted and why we wouldn’t be shocked if he pulled a surprise. 

“We were screaming for him to throw it away, throw it away,” Folsom coach Paul Doherty said. “It was a touchdown so we’ll take it. When you have a kid of that caliber, those things are going to happen.” 

Ryder Lyons scrambles while eluding an Oak Ridge defender. / Photo: Ralph Thompson

Said Lyons of the play: “I (always) snap the ball with high intentions. I’m always trying to score the ball. I’m very competitive. … like probably the most competitive person out here. So if I feel there’s any chance of me being able to score, I’m gonna go for that. It may be a flaw, but we’re working on it.” 

• THE PLAY | Ryder Lyons' remarkable TD run vs. Long Beach Poly

He’s always working on things, said Sacramento Bee longtime scribe Joe Davidson, who has covered high school sports since in the Sac-Joaquin Section since the late 1980s. 

He calls Lyons currently the third best quarterback to ever come out of the wide Sacramento region of Northern California that includes more than 100 schools. 

The No. 1 QB, Davidson says, is another Folsom player, Cincinnati Bengals backup Jake Browning, who threw for state records of 16,775 yards and 229 touchdowns in just 46 games. He threw for 91 scores as a senior. 

NUMBER 1 PLAYER, NOT JUST QB

The second-best was Del Oro’s Randy Fasani, who played a couple of NFL seasons (2002, 2003) after playing quarterback and tight end at Stanford. Fasani threw for 5,299 yards and 53 touchdowns during his prep career at Del Oro. 

Who is this man looking at? Likely Folsom sophomore QB Ryder Lyons who has rushed for both TDs in first half for host Bulldogs who trail Pittsburg in CIF NorCal D1-A title game. Lincoln Riley might also be interested in slew of Pirate juniors including S Jadyn Hudson. pic.twitter.com/Dt3H6EySxq

— Mitch Stephens (@MitchBookLive) December 3, 2023

“Lyons could emerge as the all-time best with a monstrous senior season,” Davidson said. 

Lyons plans on it. He told these talented documentary film makers that “I don’t just want to be the No. 1 quarterback in the country, I want to be the No. 1 player in the country.” 

Whichever college gets him will get a one of one, beyond competitive and athletic — his dad Tim played strong safety at BYU and his older brother Walker, a 5-star tight end, will be a sophomore at USC next fall. His two sisters Kapri and Kassidy who are competitive athletes and younger brother Rock, who will enter Folsom next season is projected to stand 6-7 or 6-8 with perhaps the highest — literally — ceiling of all the Lyons. 

Folsom 2026 QB Ryder Lyons in 2023 NorCal D1-A title game win over Pittsburg. Lyons is the No. 2 QB recruit in the country for his class according to 247Sports. / Photo: Dennis Lee

What sets Ryder above the rest might be his sheer passion and drive, which might show best in of all places, the basketball court, where he’s no high-scoring shot maker, but rather an all-hustle, energy guy adding constant spark for the region’s No. 3 team. 

In a column about the 5-star football, no-star hoopster, Davidson wrote: 

THE GRUNT

“Lyons is a banger in this sport, a bruiser, a grunt. If this was an adult league, he’d be the ringer with the sheepish grin. He uses his rock-solid, 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame to muscle up bigger players in the paint. He offers textbook chest passes, can handle the ball, can pass the ball, and can score on put-backs or a swooping layup across the lane. But scoring isn’t his thing. Hustle is. He dives on the floor for a loose ball, sneaks behind opponents to make steals, makes free throws and engages with the last players on the bench because he values all of his teammates.”

Lyons told Davidson: “I love competing, love basketball, love my teammates, my school, this community, and that’s why I play. It’s a different sport for sure. It’s good for me, too. It humbles me. In football, I have the ball and I play all the time and make plays. In basketball, I’m a role player. … “I’m nothing special. I’m just a high school kid.”

Ryder Lyons with determined 14-yard TD run. Folsom closes to 21-14 with 2:30 left in 4Q. Serra recovers onside kick. pic.twitter.com/1iBjp4uNkE

— Mitch Stephens (@MitchBookLive) August 26, 2023

But with a football in his hand and the position he was born to play, said his dad, Lyons is sheer magic. If he makes it all the way to the NFL, he’ll never have been driven by cash or fame.

“I’m not chasing money,” he told film makers Nickinthecutt. “I’m chasing what I love to do. I love to play quarterback. That’s my passion. That’s what I enjoy doing. Any one who sees me knows that I love it. 

“I don’t just love the game part, I love watching game film. I love learning defenses. I love getting better and better.”

Where he sees himself getting better in college will be revealed on Tuesday.

Like his brother, he’ll likely devote one year of missionary work after high school, then begin his mission to be the best player in college football.

Folsom (California) quarterback Ryder Lyons was the first one on the field Friday night vs. Long Beach Poly. / Mitch Stephens, SBLive

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