5-star QB Ryder Lyons sends clear message about NIL after unexpected BYU commitment

Five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons' surprising commitment to BYU marks a unique win for the Cougars amid lofty NIL spending sprees in college football. Lyons (6-foot-2.5, 220 pounds) plays for Folsom (California) High School, where he ranks as the No. 4 quarterback, the top player in his state and the No. 13 overall recruit in the class of 2026, per 247Sports. One of the top players in the country, Lyons holds a $785,000 On3 NIL valuation and has amassed over 30 scholarship offers. Some of which from major programs with plenty of backing from an NIL perspective. Teams like USC and Oregon were previously favored to land the elite passer before he ultimately chose BYU. The Ducks even had Lyons on campus for the weekend of June 13, but that trip to the defending Big Ten champions apparently didn't sway him from the Cougars. It's difficult to quantify BYU's efforts in the NIL space, as the university is private, but the recruiting trail has always been a challenging aspect for the program. The Cougars finished 59