"Dan Lanning lockered by the Mormons" - CFB fans react as 5-star QB Ryder Lyons ditches Oregon to join BYU Cougars

Dan Lanning and Oregon have lost out on a player that the program had been hoping would sign with the Ducks. On3's Hayes Fawcett reported on Tuesday that five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons has committed to BYU.

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Here is how college football fans reacted to the news on social media.

"Dan Lanning lockered by the Mormons," this fan wrote.

"Dan Lanning getting lockered by the Sister Wives?" another fan posted.

"Lanning continues to get stuffed," a third fan commented.

Some fans praised BYU for the move.

"Is BYU back?" this fan posted.

"BYU isn't messing around 👀." another fan wrote.

"Mormons have opened up the wallet!" a third fan posted.

Other fans praised Ryder Lyons for his decision.

"Take the bag as a freshman, probably not even play. Then transfer elsewhere, smart kid. Who goes to BYU to try to compete for anything," this fan said.

"Great choice young man," another fan posted.

"This is huge for BYU! Congratulations!" a third fan commented.

Finally, other fans believe that Ryder Lyons is the next Zach Wilson, the former BYU QB who struggled during his time in the NFL.

"Close enough welcome back Zach Wilson," this fan commented.

"Same build as Zach Wilson wasted his talent he’s cooked," another fan wrote.

Why did Ryder Lyons pick BYU?

Ryder Lyons is a five-star quarterback from California. According to 247Sports, he is the top-ranked player in the state and the fourth-best quarterback in the 2026 class.

The move to BYU may have surprised some people. Lyons had recently visited the Ducks, and while this put them into the running for him, Lyons' signing for the team was unlikely. His preferred destination was reportedly the USC Trojans.

In the end, Lyons chose BYU and explained his reasoning on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday:

"(The BYU Cougars) were the first ones to offer me a scholarship in eighth grade. They pulled the trigger on me, they believed in me early, and it's just crazy how it all comes full circle."

However, Lyons will not be immediately playing for the Cougars. He is going to be taking one year out to do missionary work for the Church of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church. This is the same branch of Christianity that is associated with BYU.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.