5-Star Quarterback Recruit Ryder Lyons Cancels Official Visit With USC Trojans

Lyons had long been connected to the Trojans because of his family ties, his older brother, Walker Lyons, is a sophomore tight end at USC and familiarity with Lincoln Riley. 

At one point it appeared Lyons was going to commit before the start of his junior season. And then everything changed when Lincoln-Way East four-star quarterback Jonas Williams flipped his commitment from Oregon to USC in late February. 

USC general manager Chad Bowden had built a good relationship with Williams from when he was at Notre Dame and was pushing for him to flip to the Irish That relationship carried over when Bowden joined the Trojans staff in late January. 

Riley and quarterbacks coach Luke Huard went all-in on landing Williams and a trip to Los Angeles for Junior Day in early February shifted his recruitment towards USC and led to him eventually flipping his commitment later that month.

Still, the Trojans planned on taking two quarterbacks because Lyons will take his LDS mission immediately after graduating high school, making him more of a 2027 prospect. USC had Lyons on campus twice in the spring, but it appears they could be out of the mix. 

The two schools to keep an eye on moving forward will be BYU and Oregon. Ole Miss is sneaky contender and could be a program that picks up an official visit this summer. 

USC has shifted their focus to Evangel Christian Academy (La.) four-star quarterback Peyton Houston in the 2027 cycle. Houston is the only rising junior signal-caller to receive an offer from USC, which speaks volume to what Riley and his staff thinks of him. 

Houston put up mind-boggling statistics in his sophomore season, accounting for over 5,000 yards of total offense and 45 total touchdowns. 

The 5-foot-11, 198-pound quarterback holds the Trojans in high regard. He first visited the school in the eighth grade, a trip that caught his attention and when he was on campus in April to attend a spring practice and meet the coaches, he felt the same way he did a couple of years ago. Houston and his father have been fans of Riley for quite some time and don’t take an offer from the “quarterback guru” lightly. 

His stature and skillset is very reminiscent of a former Riley quarterback, 2018 Heisman Trophy winner and 2019 No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray. 

Houston is the No. 85 overall prospect and the No. 8 quarterback in the 247Sports Rankings, but the four-star recruit certainty has five-star potential and could be a fast riser in the rankings this upcoming year.