BYU football lands 5-star quarterback Ryder Lyons

BYU made another important gain in the 2026 football recruiting class after five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons announced his commitment to the Cougars.

Lyons chose BYU over finalists USC, Ole Miss, and Oregon.

The quarterback is the first five-star football prospect to commit to BYU since 2010 and the highest-rated recruit to pledge to the Cougars in the modern era.

“They were the first ones in eighth grade,” Lyons told The Pat McAfee Show, speaking of BYU being the first school to offer him a football scholarship.

“They pulled the trigger on me,” he added. “They believed in me early and it’s just crazy how it all comes full circle.”

Lyons is considered the No. 5 quarterback in the country and the No. 3 ranked player from the state of California, according to a consensus of the four national recruiting services.

That consensus names Lyons as the No. 17 overall player in the nation in the 2026 football recruiting class.

As a junior, Lyons completed more than 68 percent of his pass attempts for 3,011 yards and scored 46 touchdowns against just six interceptions at Folsom (Calif.) High.

The quarterback emerged as a national prospect after his sophomore season when he had 3,578 yards passing with 38 touchdowns while rushing for 929 yards and 23 scores.

Lyons joins a BYU recruiting class that includes No. 5 ranked tight end Brock Harris and Bott Mulitalo, the No. 12 interior offensive lineman in the nation.

“A pure thrower with a live arm and understands how to change speeds and throw with anticipation,” 247Sports said in its recruiting assessment of Lyons.

“Accurate to all three levels of the field and throws the deep ball with touch and can rip fastballs into tight windows...

“... Elite in his ability to make multiple defenders miss and is creative in how he can buy time and make a throw down the field or take off and run for plus yards.”

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