5-Star QB Ryder Lyons Reveals Why He Will Not Play College Football Next Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt De Lima | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 1:39 PM ET

For the average five-star quarterback who will be entering his first year at a big-time college football program, the concerns might be learning a playbook, meeting dozens of new teammates and adjusting to life on campus.

For Ryder Lyons, BYU's five-star commitment from the 2026 class, he has something very different in mind.

In what amounts to a redshirt year, Lyons made an appearance on Tuesday at the "Pat McAfee Show" to announce he would not be playing football next season and instead will be serving an "LDS mission."

The 6-foot-2.5, 220-pound signal-caller further explained that he isn't sure what his mission will be or where he might go; however, after submitting his mission paperwork to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), he will learn about his mission a few weeks later.

“Next year will not be my first year at BYU..

I will be serving a LDS mission” ~ @ryderly0ns #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/aKY95h02Qu
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 24, 2025

BYU, or Brigham Young University, is, of course, known for having deep Mormon roots. The school was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young, who was the second president of the LDS Church after the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith.

Many big-time college football and NFL players have Mormon ties, like former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young, who is also related to Brigham Young. Some other examples include New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner, former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Austin Collie and countless others.

In addition to speaking of his mission, Lyons committed to the Cougars on Tuesday. He chose BYU over Oregon, Alabama, Arizona and many of the biggest college football programs.

On3 rates him as the No. 17 player in the country, the No. 5 quarterback and the third-best player in California. Last season, Lyons passed for 3,011 yards, 46 touchdowns and six interceptions. He added 585 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.

Athlon Sports slotted BYU at No. 35 in a recent rankings of the top 136 teams.

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

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