The 2026 class recruiting may not be brimming with QB talent, but some prospects are nothing short of world-class. Players like Dia Bell, Faizon Brandon, and Jake Fette all have it seems chosen their destinations by committing. That leaves the QB talent pool in the class getting more and more thin every day. Five-star quarterback Jared Curtis – the number one prospect is undoubtedly keeping his options open after decommitting from the Georgia Bulldogs. However, only Georgia and Oregon seem to be in the race. Now that leaves another five-star QB – Ryder Lyons – as the only remaining top prospect for whom the chase is looking to go till the last wire.
Ryder Lyons is a 2026 prospect from Folson, California, and stands at 6 foot 2 and 205 lbs. He’s rated the nation’s No. 6 overall prospect and No. 3 quarterback in the class of 2026. His dual-threat nature is something quite appealing to colleges and his stats in his HS career just speak volumes about him. 6,589 passing yards with just 14 interceptions and 84 touchdowns isn’t an average feat in high school. Add to that his 1,538 rushing yards and 38 touchdowns make him one of the most sought prospects after Jared Curtis right now. And one of those teams was the Michigan Wolverines who were after the guy.
Wolverines HC Sherrone Moore had made the offer for the player amongst the 28 offers he has right now. The school extended the offer in January last year and since then Coach Moore seems to be trying hard for the player. He was seen as the next successor of their QB Bryce Underwood – who is about to take his NFL leap. However, it seems the more he tries to close in on the player, the more they seem to slip from the grasp. Presently another very unexpected team is making massive inroads in its recruitment and is expected to outmaneuver all other rivals.
Five-star Michigan QB target Ryder Lyons (@ryderly0ns) with the rare 7v7 rushing TD. Has a little JJ McCarthy to his game. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/cQr5Ce2EmY
— “EJ Holland” (@EJHollandOn3) March 15, 2025
Spencer McLaughlin and Brian Smith discussed the potential destination for the player on Locked on College Football, and highlighted the BYU Cougars as a top contender. Brian Smith said, “BYU is never going to give up on him because BYU doesn’t get those kinds of quarterbacks and the connection through the faith is a huge deal… From my experience, I have a close friend from high school who is LDS (Latter-day Saints) which is a very tight-knit community. They’re going to be members of his family who maybe not publicly but privately they’re like we want you to go there.”
For added context, Lyons also intends to take an LDS mission before joining any school. This could take his joining year to 2027, and that was another reason why Michigan wanted the guy as a potential starter from 2028. Since BYU has extremely strong LDS ties, Lyons is an LDS adherent too. This makes matters quite complicated as pointed out by Brian Smith as faith could become a major driving factor. The player even had a take on his BYU connection when he was asked about it in a recent interview by On3.
BYU closing in on Ryder Lyons?
BYU is certainly making inroads into Ryders’ recruitment. However, USC Trojans are currently at the forefront if On3 probabilities are to be taken into account. The 5-star rated player has a whopping 97.8% chance of landing in USC which is massive. This is partly because of Lincoln Riley‘s ability to develop Heisman-level QBs as he did with Caleb Williams, Kyler Murray, and Baker Mayfield. But, also because his brother Walker Lyons also plays as a tight end for the USC Trojans. That being said his BYU statement is nothing without its own signs.
Lyons expanded on his family’s ties with BYU. “Also very familiar, my family went there, my sisters went there, obviously a big part of my faith,” Lyons told On3. “Coach (Aaron) Roderick, coach (Kalani) Sitake, amazing people to talk to, great relationships with them. Great coaches, BYU had a huge year, 11 wins. A very good success rate with quarterbacks.”
Well, faith would certainly influence his decision. However, BYU’s 2024 season merits praise too. They lost just two games last season and also had a 14-36 win against the Colorado Buffaloes in the Alamo Bowl game. Their quarterback Jake Retzlaff even had close to 3,000 passing yards and also had 417 rushing yards. So, this will essentially be a system where Lyons would fit well. The player even visited the school in an unofficial visit on March 9 this month. That being said, the chase is quite open for now and we could see any team like BYU, USC, or even Michigan swoop in and make that last-minute steal.
The post 5-Star QB Ryder Lyons’ Big 12 Ties Put Sherrone Moore & Michigan on Notice Amid Fierce B1G Rivalry Battle appeared first on EssentiallySports.
