What very well could be a seminal moment in the history of BYU football occurred Tuesday morning on the ESPN show of one of the most irreverent figures in sports media, Pat McAfee.
But for Cougar fans everywhere, the commitment of five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons to BYU bordered on a spiritual experience. The Kalani Sitake-led program has significant momentum heading into its third season in the Big 12, and the addition of the ultra-talented Lyons in a couple of years should propel the once-foundering independent to unprecedented heights.
Simply put, Lyons’ expected signing with BYU in December when the early signing period begins for the class of 2026 recruits cannot be overstated.
It’s huge, almost as big as BYU landing No. 1 prep basketball recruit AJ Dybantsa last November. In the past six months, two of the highest-profile prep recruits in the country have gone on worldwide leader ESPN to announce their commitments to BYU.
If you had those two developments on your Bingo card a year ago, well, you are not telling the truth.
That kind of publicity for a faith-based school tucked away in the Mountain Time Zone is priceless.
“For the next three to four years, I will be going to Brigham Young University,” Lyons said, donning a BYU cap shortly after 10 a.m. MDT on ESPN. “Go Cougs.”
That had to be music to the ears of Sitake and his staff, which first offered a scholarship to the now 6-foot-3, 225-pound rising senior when he was 14 years old and in the eighth grade.
“They pulled the trigger on me, they believed in me early,” Lyons told McAfee. “And it is crazy how it all comes full circle, you know.”
Lyons has said he will graduate from Folsom High in the Sacramento area this coming December, and depart on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints next January. He said he will submit his mission papers in August and expects to get his missionary assignment via email a few weeks after that.
A mission “is for sure a big deal,” he told McAfee.
Again, that kind of publicity is priceless.
BYU’s quarterback situation — although murky now with the situation involving projected 2025 starter Jake Retzlaff — in the future looks incredibly bright, with former four-star QB Bear Bachmeier having joined the program this spring, transferring from Stanford after participating in spring camp with the Cardinal.
Lyons is the top recruit in the state of California and the No. 4 overall QB recruit in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. The California Gatorade Player of the Year after a spectacular sophomore season at Folsom picked BYU over the likes of USC, Oregon, Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia and Michigan.
“To be honest, I am just so blessed. … I am so appreciative,” he said. “It has been a long journey. I got my first scholarship (offer) in eighth grade, so we have been at this for awhile.”
In the end, Lyons followed his heart to Provo, where his father, Tim, briefly played as a defensive back in 1996 and where his sisters, Kassidy and Kapri, graduated. He gave a “shoutout” on national TV to his mother, Kamee, as well.
He is the highest-profile BYU football recruit in 23 years, ranked as the 19th overall prospect in the country in the 247Sports Composite rankings. BYU and Houston are the only Big 12 programs with commitments from five-star prospects in the 2026 class.
Speaking generally about recruiting Monday at the BYU Football Media Golf Classic, Sitake acknowledged that a combination of recent success, Big 12 membership, and the culture he has established in Provo has led to a new world of recruiting at the school supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“In the past, it was always what we didn’t have, and what we couldn’t provide,” he said. “Those were things that a lot of recruits hung on in terms of, ‘why not BYU?’ Those aren’t there any more. … So it is us letting (prospects) know that we are not independent any more. We are in the Big 12. We have resources. We have commitment from our administration to invest and buy into our sports teams. Not just our football and basketball teams, but all of them.
“So you see the momentum that’s being created and the energy behind it,” Sitake continued.
Obviously, Lyons will be paid handsomely to attend BYU, just as he would have been had he chosen any of the other dozens and dozens of schools that wanted him. The grandson of famed filmmaker and author Kieth Merrill said dealing with the name, image and likeness (NIL) component was “hard” but made easier by his agent and team of advisors.
“It definitely makes it just confusing,” Lyons said. “You are thrown a lot of money, from a lot of different places. But I think you obviously have to stay humble. Money is not the biggest part. The biggest part is making it to the NFL. That’s where the serious money is. That’s where the long-term money is.”
How will this impact BYU recruiting in the future?
Consider this: Before Lyons’ commitment was made official, BYU ranked 46th on 247Sports’ 2026 Team Recruiting Rankings. The Cougars are now 31st.
Lyons becomes the third-highest rated recruit in BYU history, behind only five-star QB Ben Olson and five-star offensive lineman Ofa Mohetau.
But in this day and age of the NIL, revenue sharing, the House Settlement and the 24-7 news cycle, Lyons is easily the most impactful football recruit ever at BYU.
And he hasn’t played a down yet.