USC Dealt Unfortunate News on 5-Star QB With $785K NIL Valuation

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Kevin Matthew Borba | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 1:24 PM ET

Despite being the heavy favorite to land him throughout his recruitment, 2026 five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons ended up not picking the USC Trojans on Tuesday.

USC head coach Lincoln Riley has arguably the best track record with quarterbacks in college football with names like Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts and Caleb Williams all excelling under the now-former Oklahoma head coach.

However, when it came to the recruitment of Lyons, who ranks as the No. 13 player in the country, Riley ended up losing out on the talented gunslinger out of Folsom to the BYU Cougars.

The younger brother of USC tight end Walker Lyons announced his commitment on ESPN's "Pat McAfee Show," and also discussed what went into his decision.

Aside from the fact that BYU was the first program to offer him in the eighth grade, Lyons also expressed that he thinks they give him the best chance of making it to the NFL.

"Money's not the biggest part," Lyons said. "The biggest part is making it to the NFL. Because that's where the serious money is. That's where long-term money is."

According to 247Sports' recruiting insider, Tom Loy, USC was the favorite until a "miscommunication" occurred.

Loy expressed that both USC and Lyons "faded off" from one another, leading to Lyons looking more seriously into other options.

This past season, Lyons was named California Gatorade Player of the Year.

He led Folsom to an 11-2 record, while throwing for 3,011 yards with 46 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He also rushed the ball 118 times for 585 yards and 14 touchdowns.

As for USC, they still hold a commitment from four-star Jonas Williams, which may have been the reason they weren't constantly pushing for Lyons.

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

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