USC QB Walker Lyons' brother Ryder Lyons visits Lincoln Riley's spring practice following a recent BYU Cougars visit

Five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons continued his spring visiting rounds on Thursday as he visited Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans program. The Trojans hosted Lyons, along with a larger contingent of top prospects, including five-star safety Jett Washington.

Others visiting USC this weekend include commits, four-star cornerback Brandon Lockhart and three-star wide receiver Tron Baker.

USC has been the leading school in Lyons’ recruitment. The Trojans consider the in-state talent as a priority, counting on their proximity and the QB's connection with the program as the deciding factors in the recruitment process. Ryder's brother, Walker, is currently a junior tight end at USC.

Confirming USC’s place in the race to sign him, Lyons had told On3’s Steve Wiltfong in an interview earlier in March,

“Coach (Lincoln) Riley, three first picks in the NFL Draft, three Heismans, it’s very familiar, my brother goes there, they’ve been recruiting me for a while, so I don’t think there’s any better QB coach in the country, to be honest. Coach Riley knows what he’s doing.”

However, the Trojans are being rivaled by other schools, particularly Oregon and BYU. Lyons stated earlier this month that he’s now more open to other offers, making USC’s lead not as secure as it previously was.

He said,

“I would say that has been fair. Maybe not as much anymore. That could be fair, but I’m a little bit more open now.”

Earlier this week, Ryder Lyons headlined a visit to BYU’s spring practice. The top-10 prospect posted a picture from his visit to the Cougars on his X page. He was flanked in the picture by four-star tight end Brock Harris and the Pula Twins, Jaron and Kennan.

So we will have to see if Coach Riley has any moves up his sleeve to secure the youngster's commitment.

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More predictions on Ryder Lyons’ commitment

Another factor in Lyons’ recruitment is USC’s flipping of former Oregon quarterback commit Jonas Williams. However, according to Rivals’ Adam Gorney, another quarterback’s decision may influence Lyons’ consideration. Jared Curtis, whose top options also include Oregon, may influence where Lyons chooses to go. The analyst wrote,

“If Curtis picks the Ducks, then Lyons might be down to Michigan and BYU. If Curtis re-commits to Georgia, then Oregon might emerge as the front-runner for Lyons. If the Folsom, Calif., standout softly eliminates Oregon, considering Curtis’ next move, then the Wolverines could be sitting really pretty.”

While the analysis does not have a certain conclusion, Ryder Lyons may indeed fall within Michigan’s long-term plans for quarterback. He would be delaying his entrance into college football for his LDS mission, resuming in what would be Bryce Underwood’s junior and possibly final college season.

Lyons is the No. 4 quarterback nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking.