BYU reeled in the best recruit of the Kalani Sitake era.
And arguably one of the Cougars’ best recruits ever.
Five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons, out of Folsom, Calif., is heading to Provo to lead the Cougars.
“They were the first one [to offer] me in the eighth grade,” Lyons said on the Pat McAfee Show. “They pulled the trigger on me. They believed in me early. It’s crazy how it all comes full circle.”
Lyons is a top-five quarterback in the country, according to 247Sports Composite rankings, and is a consensus five-star recruit. As a junior, Lyons was California’s Gatorade Player of the Year, throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and 44 touchdowns. He accounted for 56 total scores.
Lyons was heavily recruited, including by Oregon and USC down the stretch. The 6-foot-3 quarterback canceled his visit to USC, deciding only to see Oregon and BYU on his official visit list. He was in Provo last weekend.
Lyons had ties to USC, where his brother, Walker, is a tight end. Walker Lyons was a former BYU target, and a high-priority recruit with Hunter Clegg and Ethan Thomason (who both are on BYU’s roster this year).
BYU reversed its fate with this Lyons brother, symbolizing a big leap forward for the program.
When Walker Lyons was a recruit, BYU was not in the Big 12 and didn’t have Power Four resources. With a larger recruiting staff and an increasingly established Big 12 presence, BYU’s seen noticeable gains on the recruiting trail with this current cycle.
Before Lyons’ commitment, Sitake had already signed several four-star recruits. Tight end Brock Harris, a four-star out of St. George, committed to BYU over Alabama and others. And four-star offensive lineman Bott Mulitalo from Lone Peak signed with BYU over Utah, Auburn and others.
BYU is on pace to have its best recruiting class in the Sitake era, currently ranked 31st in the country.
Lyons won’t play immediately for BYU. He is going on a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission out of high school. Harris is also serving a mission and will return with Lyons.
