Top 3 landing spots for 2026 class prospect and 4-star QB Ryder Lyons ft. USC

Four-star prospect Ryder Lyons is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation regardless of graduation year. He has already received offers from Oregon, USC, Texas A&M, Florida State, Ole Miss, Utah, Washington, Notre Dame, Michigan, UCLA and Alabama, among others.

During his sophomore season, Lyons threw for 3,578 yards and 38 touchdowns while running for 929 yards. Standing at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, the prospect is ranked as the nation’s No. 4 quarterback, the No. 50 overall prospect in the 2026 class and the No. 5 prospect in California, according to On3.

Let's take a look at three programs that have the most potential to earn his commitment.

Top 3 programs vying for Ryder Lyons' commitment

3. Ole Miss

Ole Miss has a 14 percent chance of earning Lyons' commitment, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

Lyons visited Ole Miss on July 27, accompanied by his father and Folsom’s recruiting operations staff. He had the opportunity to meet the Ole Miss coaching staff and engage in meaningful conversations with tight end commit Hayden Bradley and wide receiver target Caleb Cunningham.

“It was honestly really, really good. Never been there, and first impressions, I really like it,” Lyons told On3. “Just looking around and driving through town and on campus, it seems like a good place for me.”

The program's system and culture also impressed him.

“System and culture are important to me. Coach Kiffin talked about that a lot and coach Weis was in there, too, talking about how high they are on me. They believe in me and they want me to come to Ole Miss.”

Ole Miss has no committed prospects in the 2026 class.

2. Oregon

Oregon holds a slightly higher chance of landing Lyons at 16.3 percent. Offensive coordinator Will Stein is leading the recruitment effort, and head coach Dan Lanning has also been crucial in the recruitment journey.

"Oregon's incredible. I love Coach Stein. I love Coach Lanning," Lyons told SI. "Both I could really see myself thriving under, playing under."

Lyons also appreciated Oregon's early interest in him.

"I really like Oregon a lot. They've shown a lot of interest in me, they were like my fifth offer. So that obviously means a lot. They didn't really care they just offered. They were like 'we don't care if other people are gonna offer you now, we just want to set our tone', so that was super cool."

Oregon has defensive lineman Tony Cumberland and running back Tradarian Ball committed to the 2026 class.

1. USC

USC leads the pack with an 18.7 percent chance of securing Lyons' commitment. Lyons visited the program over the weekend, and the coaching staff left a strong impression on him.

“My favorite part of the visit was talking ball with Coach Huard for a couple hours,” Lyons said ( via On3). “We watched their film, we went over some concepts and then watched my film to see how it related."

A significant factor in Lyons' interest in USC is his older brother, Walker Lyons, who has returned from his LDS mission and will be playing for the Trojans this fall.

“My interest in them has always been high. My brother will play there this year and Coach Riley has produced three Heisman Trophy winners who were No. 1 picks in the NFL Draft, so that means a bunch."

The Trojans’ offensive system, which heavily relies on the quarterback and prioritizes quarterback development, also stands out to Lyons. USC's 2026 class has five committed players, which ranks No. 5 in the class.