JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK

5-Star QB Announces Historic Commitment To Unexpected College Football Program

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nate Lunak | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 1:36 PM ET

As the college football offseason continues to roll on, many of the top players in the 2026 recruiting class continue to make their decisions on where they will be taking the next step in their careers.

That includes the extremely talented quarterback Ryder Lyons, who had offers from many top schools, such as the Oregon Ducks, the USC Trojans, the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Ole Miss Rebels.

On Tuesday, he announced his decision during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show." Instead of choosing any of those powerhouses, he selected the BYU Cougars to play under head coach Kalani Sitake.

It's certainly exciting news, because per On3's Hayes Fawcett, Lyons comes in and is immediately the highest-ranked quarterback commit in BYU history during the ranking era.

BREAKING: Five-Star QB Ryder Lyons has Committed to BYU, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’3 225 QB from Folsom, CA chose the Cougars over Oregon

He becomes the highest-ranked QB to commit to BYU in the ranking era (per On3)

“God is great, Go Cougs.”https://t.co/nesIljkkne pic.twitter.com/T1RGJV81do
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 24, 2025

There's now a lot for the program to celebrate, as On3 Industry Rankings gives Lyons a rating of 96.73, making him a five-star recruit, the No. 5 quarterback, the No. 3 player in California and the No. 17 player in the nation.

Last season, he was impressive for Folsom High School, completing 211-of-310 passes for 3,011 yards, 46 touchdowns and six interceptions while also rushing for 585 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Lyons provides an excellent boost to BYU's 2026 recruiting class, which has 13 commitments and ranks No. 4 in the Big 12 and No. 44 in the nation, per On3.

However, the Cougars will have to wait an extra year to use his services, as he is set to serve an LDS mission after his senior year of high school, meaning Lyons won't enroll at BYU until 2027.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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