BYU Football Reportedly in Two-Team Race for Top 2026 Quarterback

Ryder Lyons, who is one of the nation's top quarterback prospects for the class of 2026, has some decisions to make. With that said, BYU is reportedly one of his final teams as his commitment date draws near.  

Earlier this week, Lyons told Rivals he's near a decision on where he'll go to college. The site's recruiting analyst Adam Gorney wrote that, “The five-star quarterback from Folsom, Calif., visits Oregon this weekend, BYU next weekend and then could come to a decision.”

Lyons has many other programs who have offered him, including Michigan and Ohio State. However, don't count out BYU over a powerhouse like Oregon. "As much as the outsider sees the Ducks as the front-runner here, BYU is under very serious consideration and as a bonus, his sister lives in Provo,” Gorney added. 

At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Lyons is a consensus top-five quarterback prospect in the Class of 2026. According to 247Sports’ Greg Biggins, he brings all the makings of a generational talent to the table. 

"Lyons is an exceptional talent and has been one of the top quarterbacks in the region since his sophomore year. Has rare combination of arm talent and movement ability and can shred a defense with his arm and his legs. A pure thrower with a live arm and understands how to change speeds and throw with anticipation. Accurate to all three levels of the field and throws the deep ball with touch and can rip fastballs into tight windows. 

"Equally dangerous when a play breaks down and has to improvise off-script. 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. He's a tough kid who doesn't shy away from contact and will take a shot but hang in the pocket to deliver the football. A highly competitive player with a strong off the field work ethic and draws raves from his coaches and teammates for his leadership skill. Has one of the highest ceilings among the quarterback group in his class and assuming he continues to develop, should be playing on Sunday's for a very long time."

The California Gatorade Player of the Year posted an 11-2 record as a junior, leading Folsom to the Division I-AA Northern California championship game. Lyons missed some time due to injury, but completed 211 of 310 passes (68.1%) for 3,011 yards with 46 TD and 6 INT. Also carried the ball 118 times for 585 yards and 14 TD.

Lyons would be just the first five-star prospect to commit to the Cougars in over 20 years. He would also join an elite recruiting class going into next year.