Five-star QB Ryder Lyons commits to BYU, will take LDS mission before playing for Cougars

Five-star Folsom High School (Calif.) quarterback Ryder Lyons was receiving offers as early as eighth grade. BYU was the first school to extend him a scholarship opportunity, and now Lyons is giving the early bird the worm.

Lyons, Rivals’ No. 3 overall prospect in the 2026 class, announced his commitment to BYU Tuesday afternoon on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

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“They pulled the trigger on me,” Lyons said. “They believed in me early. And it’s just crazy how it all comes full circle.”

Lyons chose BYU over Oregon. He had a laundry list of offers, though, and was also interested in USC, Michigan, Ole Miss and Ohio State during his recruiting process.

BYU is coming off a strong second year in the Big 12. In 2024, the Cougars went 11-2 under head coach Kalani Sitake, winning the Alamo Bowl and finishing No. 13 in the final AP Poll.

Last season, as a high school junior, Lyons posted a completion rate just north of 68% and threw for 3,011 yards while posting a 46:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He tacked on an additional 585 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.

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Although Lyons is entering his senior year at Folsom, he’s a couple years away from playing football at BYU.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound signal-caller told McAfee Tuesday that, following graduation, he will be taking his mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Lyons shared that he doesn’t know yet where he’ll be going for his mission. He explained that he’ll submit his paperwork in August and then get a call to anywhere in the world two to three weeks later.

McAfee asked Lyons about the pressures of NIL throughout his recruitment as a coveted prospect.

“Yeah, it’s hard. It’s hard, for sure,” Lyons said.

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“I do have someone who handles it for me. I have an agent. I have a whole team. But it definitely makes it just confusing. I mean, you’re thrown a lot of money from a lot of different places. But I think it’s just, you got to obviously stay humble.”

Lyons added: “Money’s not the biggest part. I mean, the biggest part is making it to the NFL because that’s where the serious money is. That’s where the long-term money is.”

Lyons is remaining patient, both for the start of his college career and for his ultimate goal — reaching the NFL.