BYU made another major splash on the recruiting trail Tuesday with the addition of five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons, who chose the Cougars over a litany of heavyweight offers from programs like Oregon, USC and Ole Miss. Lyons is the first five-star to commit to BYU since 247Sports started rating prospects in 2010 and he’s the highest-rated recruit to make his pledge to the Cougars in the modern era. Taking in all of that context, Lyons’ commitment to BYU registers a 10 out of 10 in the Commitment Impact Score. 

Lyons explained his decision on the “Pat McAfee Show.”

“They were the first ones (to offer me a scholarship) in eighth grade,” Lyons said. “They pulled the trigger on me. They believed in me early and it’s just crazy how it all comes full circle.” 

A product of Folsom, California, Lyons took two unofficial visits to BYU during the 2024 season and officially visited the Cougars the weekend of June 19. Lyons, the No. 13 prospect nationally and No. 4 quarterback, was the highest-rated uncommitted quarterback left in the 2026 class prior to his announcement.

The 6-foot-2.5 and 220-pound Lyons earned 2024 California Gatorade Player of the Year honors after leading Folsom to an 11-2 record as a starter while throwing for 3,011 yards and 46 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He also rushed 118 times for 585 yards and 14 touchdowns. 

It may not take long for Lyons to have an impact on BYU’s football team when he arrives on campus, according to 247Sports’ evaluation: 

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 in to 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.

BYU amassing impressive 2026 haul 

With Lyons in the fold, BYU’s 2026 recruiting class jumped from No. 46 to No. 38 in the 247Sports Team Composite Recruiting Rankings. With 14 commits already in the fold, the Cougars are on track to have their best high school signing haul since coach Kalani Sitake took over in 2016. 

BYU now has three top-100 prospects committed, more than any other year in modern recruiting history. Lyons is joined by a pair of major in-state recruiting wins in tight end Brock Harris (St. George, Utah) and offensive lineman Bott Mulitalo (American Fork), who both committed in April. 

Harris, the No. 67 prospect nationally and No. 5 tight end, chose BYU over the likes of Michigan, Georgia and Alabama while Mulitalo (No. 92 nationally) would be the first top-100 offensive lineman to sign with BYU in the Sitake era. Harris and Mulitalo also rank as the No. 2 and No. 3 prospects in the state of Utah, respectively. 

Cougars thriving in NIL era 

Lyons isn’t the first high-profile recruiting battle that BYU has won in recent months. The Cougars are firing on all cylinders in almost every major sport. 

In December, BYU’s men’s basketball team beat a litany of blue-chip programs to sign AJ Dybantsa, the No. 2 prospect nationally in 2025. Shortly after Dybantsa’s decision, Royal Blue NIL — BYU’s NIL collective — released a statement lauding the efforts of BYU’s alumni base.

Court Report: The details on why AJ Dybantsa chose BYU and how much NIL money the No. 1 recruit is set to make

Matt Norlander

“As the official NIL collective of BYU Athletics, we are glad to play a role in AJ’s NIL deal while he’s with the program,” the statement read. “The collective’s efforts are indeed collective. We are thankful for the 875 donors from more than 30 different states who have provided support to more than 300 BYU student-athletes across 13 teams. The collective has received major gifts from 32 alumni. We are grateful for the unprecedented ecosystem of BYU. The entrepreneurial DNA of Cougar Nation is unrivaled.”

Ryan Smith, a co-founder of Qualitrics and the owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, has been involved with his alma mater, though he stated on social media that he had no direct hand in landing Dybantsa and instead credited Cougars coach Kevin Young and the program he’s built. Young’s 2024-25 BYU team later made a run to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Regardless of who’s buying in, it’s clear that BYU has adapted well to the constantly shifting college athletics landscape. 

DENVER – The University of Denver gymnastics team has signed transfer Addie Hewitt beginning with the 2025-26 academic year, Joy S. Burns Head Women’s Gymnastics Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart announced on Tuesday.
 
“We’re excited to welcome Addie to our team and back home to Colorado,” Kutcher-Rinehart said. “She will be a great teammate who will bring a strong work ethic and contribute depth to our lineups. We can’t wait to see her continue to thrive here at Denver.”
 
Hewitt began her collegiate career at the University of Maryland, spending her freshman year with the Terrapins in 2024-25 and competing in exhibition on vault twice.
 
Prior to entering NCAA gymnastics, Hewitt was a three-star recruit, according to College Gym News. She qualified for USA Gymnastics Level 10 Nationals four times and collected five Colorado state titles in her club career including twice in the all-around. In 2023, she was the Region 3 all-around champion and added a tie for first on beam.
 
Hewitt will be one of six newcomers to the Denver roster in 2025-26, joining the No. 9 recruiting class in the country featuring incoming freshmen Megan Aamold, Shyla Bhatia, Sevana Kasparian, Kaitlynd Kastl and Terra Rutter.
 
Denver finished the 2025 season ranked No. 13 nationally and reached its sixth consecutive NCAA Regional Final after tying with No. 4 Utah for first place and upsetting then-No. 13 Stanford in the NCAA Second Round. DU was just three tenths from a team berth to the NCAA National Championships, placing behind only eventual NCAA runner-up UCLA and NCAA finalist Utah.
 
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After six years, Olympian and prominent U.S. Women’s National Team defender, Ally Hammel (Duxbury, Mass.), has officially announced her retirement. The 28-year-old competed in 80 international matches for Team USA.

The Duxbury, Mass. native started playing field hockey in the 7th grade when her mother, who played collegiately at the University of Connecticut, started a club in the South Shore area of Massachusetts. Hammel played other sports growing up, including soccer, lacrosse, and ice hockey, and found field hockey was the perfect cross between soccer and ice hockey. From when she was first introduced, she enjoyed playing and was always excited to show up to training.

Hammel attended Duxbury High School and Loomis Chaffee School, where she earned Patriot League All-Star honors in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and helped the team claim three league titles. She was a 2013 Boston Herald and Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic selection and named to the 2014 NFHCA All-American Third Team. She played for HTC Field Hockey club team.

In 2013, Hammel got involved in the Olympic Development Pathway when she first joined Futures (now Nexus).

Hammel played collegiately at Boston University (2015-2018), where she was the first player in program history to be a two-time NFHCA First Team All-American (2017, 2018), in addition to winning back-to-back NFHCA Northeast Region Player of the Year (2017, 2018) and Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year (2017, 2018). She was a unanimous selection to the All Patriot League First Team (2017, 2018), named the 2018 Patriot League Championship Most Outstanding Player, and named to the All-Tournament Team (2017, 2018).

From 2016 to 2019, Hammel participated in High Performance Centers in the north region and was selected to the U-21 or Development Junior National Camps and Young Women’s National Championship all four years. In 2018 and 2019, she was named to the U.S. Women’s National Development Team and went on a tour to Chile and Holland.

In May 2019, Hammel was named to the senior U.S. Women’s National Team and on February 7, 2020, played in her first cap against Argentina in the FIH Hockey Pro League. She competed in three editions of the League through the 2023-24 season, only missing four of the team’s 48 matches. An integral part of the United Eagles defense, she was the squad that earned fourth at the 2022 Pan American Cup and was a key individual in the relocation of the USWNT to Charlotte, N.C.

Although often part of the attacking penalty corner unit, Hammel also recorded handful of defensive saves – especially in key moments. One of those came in the battle against Argentina in the 2023 Pan American Games final, where the close 1-2 contest earned them a silver medal and qualifier spot. The most notable was at the 2024 FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier against Japan in a must-win game with a spot to Paris 2024 on the line, when she had solid post play to help USA secure the 2-1 win.

In June 2024, Hammel was named to the U.S. Olympic Women’s National Team roster to represent USA at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Years of dedication and sacrifices paid off.

“Being part of Team USA is an experience that’s tough to put into words,” commented Hammel. “Competing for the United States against the world’s top players and teams was an incredible honor. The countless hours of unseen effort and the challenging moments that made us question our commitment and what it truly meant to dedicate ourselves to our shared goal were all worth it the moment we pulled on that jersey. While there were certainly some challenging times, the highs made every low worthwhile. There’s truly nothing else like it!”

Hammel notes a handful of memorable highlights throughout her career. Among them are earning her first international cap against Argentina, and getting the opportunity to play against several former Boston University teammates, including Gunsom (NZL) in the FIH Hockey Pro League, Valentina Cerde Eimbcke (CHI) at the 2022 Pan American Cup and Sofi Laurito (ITA) at the 2024 FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier.

“I would have to say winning a silver medal at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, and knowing we had a great opportunity in front of us to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” added Hammel.

“Playing in an Olympic Qualifier in one of the most passionate hockey countries in the world (India) as well as hearing the final horn against Japan and realizing we did the unthinkable and qualified for the Paris – it’s unforgettable.”

For most athletes, being selected to represent their country on the Olympic stage is the pinnacle of sport. “Seeing my name on the selection roster to represent the United States of America at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as well as stepping foot on the pitch, singing the National Anthem and becoming an Olympian – it will forever be a moment ingrained in my career highlights.”

Hammel’s final international competition was helping USA to a fourth-place finish at the 2025 FIH Hockey Nations Cup in Santiago, Chile. She retires having competed in 80 international senior matches.

Hammel has an extensive list of those she would like to thank who have impacted her career. First off, she wants to express her heartfelt gratitude to her parents, Jenn and Dave, her fiancé Travis, her brothers Matt and Jon, and all her extended family and friends. She notes that their unwavering support is what was her anchor through the highs and low of professional sport.

“I would like to express my sincere thanks to the coaches who have shaped my journey. From my club field hockey coaches, Deb Brickey and Darren Smallhorn, to my high school mentors, Pam Manley and Terry Vandewater, each of you laid the foundation for my growth. At Boston University, Sally Starr, Tracey Paul, and Sarah Shute pushed my ability and guided me to be the best version of myself both on and off the pitch. My Development Squad coaches – Jun Kentwell, Mark Atherton, Marc Hardy, and Roz Ellis – provided invaluable guidance and support at pivotal moments in my career.”

Hammel added, she would like to thank Longstreth Sporting Goods and Grays Hockey for sponsoring her throughout her time on the USWNT.

“I am deeply grateful to the coaches and support staff who have been integral to my journey with the U.S. Women’s National Team. A special thank you to Janneke Schopman who believed in my ability and gave me the opportunity to join the senior team. To David Williamson, Anthony Farry, Greg Drake, David Passmore, Javi Telechea, Tracey Fuchs, Maddie Hinch and Bert Remmerswaal – your guidance, encouragement, and belief in me have been invaluable. Each of you has played a significant role in my development, and you all hold a very special place in my heart”

Finally, Hammel would like to thank all her Team USA teammates. She expressed that all have impacted her career – big and small – and that she is grateful for the experiences shared, lessons learned, and growth made together. She is excited to see the future of the USWNT and looks toward the continued fight to represent the United States.

“Ally has been a member of the squad and integral in our development over the past few years providing solidity to our defense through the Olympic qualification process and in Paris,” said David Passmore, USWNT Head Coach. “While pleased for Ally that she has made a decision she is happy with, she will be missed for her composure, calm head, and leadership in the Paris cycle having converted from a forward at college to a defender internationally. She led a young inexperienced group in New Zealand and Chile and has been integral in the young players settling into the squad and understanding our processes and tactics. On behalf of the whole team we wish Ally and her fiancé Travis the very best for their future.”

Hammel has a USA Field Hockey Level 1 Coaching Certification. She coached at HTC Field Hockey from 2012 through 2020 and has been Coaching Director, Recruiting Coordinator and Head Coach at DELTA Field Hockey since the summer of 2023.

She was recently named the assistant coach at Penn State University, and she, Travis, and their dog, Harper, will be making the move to Happy Valley.

“Stepping away from playing the sport you love is always difficult, but I feel very grateful to have the opportunity to further my field hockey knowledge and give back to the community that has given me so much!

Associated Press

Will Wade’s work building N.C. State into an immediate winner included the pursuit of an entrant in the NBA draft, just in case he returned to college.

It wasn’t a huge risk: With all the cash flowing in college, the number of early entrants to the NBA draft has continued to shrink. This year’s draft starts Wednesday night with its lowest total of those prospects in at least 10 years.

“Now you can play the long game a little bit more,” Wade told The Associated Press, referring to how college players can look at their futures. “Look, I can get paid the same I would get paid in the G League, the same I would get paid on a two-way (contract), some guys are getting first-round money.”

And more money is on the way.

It’s been four years since college athletes were permitted to profit off the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), opening the door for athlete compensation that was once forbidden by NCAA rules. Next week, on July 1, marks the official start of revenue sharing where schools can begin directly paying athletes following the $2.8 billion House antitrust settlement.

For Wade, that led to signing Texas Tech’s Darrion Williams after 247sports’ fifth-ranked transfer withdrew from the draft.

“Basically now if you’re an early entry and you’re not a top-20, top-22 pick — where the money slots — you can pretty much make that in college,” the new Wolfpack coach said.

It’s all part of a seismic change that has rippled through college athletics since the pandemic, its impact touching the NBA. Players willing to “test the waters” in the draft before returning to school now have a lucrative option to consider against uncertain pro prospects.

And it shows in the numbers.

“With all the money that’s being thrown around in NIL, you’re having a lot less players put their names in,” Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said. “You’re having pretty good players pulling their names out.”

Declining number of early entrants

This year’s drop is significant when compared to the years before anyone had heard of COVID-19. There was a spike of college players jumping into the draft in the pandemic’s aftermath, when they were granted a free eligibility year to temporarily make even a fourth-year senior an “early” entrant.

But those numbers had fallen as those five-year players cycled out of college basketball, and they’re now below pre-pandemic levels. That decline coincides with NIL’s July 2021 arrival, from athletes doing paid appearances or social-media endorsements to boosters forming collectives offering NIL packages amounting to de facto salaries.

As a result:

— Eighty-two players appeared on the NBA’s list of early entrants primarily from American colleges with a smattering of other teams, down 49% from 2024 (162) and nearly 47% compared to the four-year average from 2016-19 (153.5);

— Thirty-two remained after withdrawal deadlines, down from 62 last year and 72.0 from 2016-19;

— Adding international prospects, 109 players declared for the draft, down from 201 last year and 205.0 from 2016-19;

— And only 46 remained, down from 77 in 2024 and 83.8 from 2016-19.

More college players weighing options

Duke coach Jon Scheyer understands draft dynamics, both for no-doubt headliners and prospects facing less clarity. He sees college athlete compensation as a “legitimate gamechanger.”

“Hopefully it allows players to decide what’s truly best for their game,” Scheyer told the AP. “It allows them to analyze: ‘Am I actually ready for this or not?’ Where money doesn’t have to be the deciding factor. Because if money’s the deciding factor, that’s why you see kids not stick. The NBA’s cutthroat. It just is.”

The Blue Devils are expected to have three players selected in the first-round Wednesday, including presumptive No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg alongside top-10 prospects Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach. They also had players sorting through draft decisions.

Freshman Isaiah Evans — a slender wing with explosive scoring potential — withdrew instead of chasing first-round status through the draft process. Incoming transfer Cedric Coward from Washington State rapidly rose draft boards after the combine and remained in the draft.

“There’s no substituting the money you’re going to make if you’re a top-15, top-20 pick,” said Scheyer, entering Year 4 as successor to retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. “But if you’re not solidified as a first-round pick, why risk it when you can have a solid year and a chance to go up or be in the same position the following season?”

College compensation is re-shaping the draft pool

Langdon, himself a former Duke first-rounder, sees that evolution, too.

His Pistons had their first playoff appearance since 2019, but lack a first-round selection and own a single pick in Thursday’s second round. Fewer candidates could make the already imperfect science of drafting even trickier in this new reality.

According to the NBA’s 2024-25 rookie scale, a player going midway through the first round would make roughly $3.5 million in first-year salary. That figure would drop to about $2.8 million at pick No. 20, $2.3 million at No. 25 and $2.1 million with the 30th and final first-round draftee.

A minimum first-year NBA salary? Roughly $1.2 million.

“These NIL packages are starting to get up to $3 to $4 to $5 to $6 million dollars,” Langdon said. “These guys are not going to put their name in to be the 25th pick, or even the 18th pick. They are going to go back to school in hopes of being a lottery pick next year. With that pool of players decreasing, it kind of decreases the odds of the level of player we get at No. 37, just the pure mathematics.”

Current NBA players offer insight

Indiana Pacers big man Thomas Bryant and Oklahoma City Thunder counterpart Isaiah Hartenstein, who both played in the seven-game NBA Finals that ended Sunday, illustrate Langdon’s point.

They were back-to-back second-rounders in 2017 (Bryant at 42, Hartenstein at 43), pushed down a draft board featuring early-entry college players in 33 of the 41 picks before them.

Bryant played two college seasons at Indiana before stints with five NBA teams, including Denver’s 2023 championship squad. Would the ability to make college money have changed his journey?

“To be honest, I see it from both sides,” Bryant said. “If you’re not going to get drafted, you understand that a kid needs money to live in college and everything. So, I understand where they’re coming from on that end.

“But for me, I took the chance. I bet on myself, and I believed in myself, and I worked to the very end. And the thing about me is that if I went down, I was going down swinging. I hang my hat on that. For some, it might not be the same case.”

The American-born Hartenstein moved to Germany at 11 and played in Lithuania before being drafted. As he put it: “I think everyone’s journey is different.”

“I think you should have the right people around you to kind of guide you,” said Hartenstein, a newly minted NBA champion. “I mean, I was lucky that my dad, who was a professional before, kind of guided me. Depending on your circumstances, it’s hard to turn down guaranteed money. If there’s an opportunity to get in a good situation in the NBA, you do that. But it’s a hard decision.”

College now can be more of an allure

At N.C. State, Wade’s pitch to Williams included a leading role and a shot at boosting his draft stock.

The 6-foot-6 junior averaged 15.1 points with multiple big NCAA Tournament performances as the Red Raiders reached the Elite Eight, nearly beating eventual champion Florida.

“He was most likely going to be a second-round draft pick, and his package here is better than probably he would’ve gotten as a second-round pick,” Wade said, adding: “We certainly talked about that. We went over that. We went over the math of everything. We went over the plan on how to accomplish that.”

That’s not to say it’s easy at the college level in this new landscape. Roster management is tricky, including a balancing act of maintaining financial resources to potentially land one player while risking missing out on others.

“It’s the way life works, it’s the way it should work,” Wade said. “If there’s no risk, there’s no reward. The riskiest players, in terms of waiting on the money and waiting them out, are the best players. That’s why they’re in the draft process. We’re not going to be scared of that.”

Nor should he, not with the allure of campus life these days.

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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds and AP Sports Writer Larry Lage contributed to this report.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba