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Oregon HC Dan Lanning, multiple assistants visit 5-star QB target

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by:Keegan Pope•01/22/25•

bykeeganpope

Ryder Lyons
(Photo by Chad Simmons/On3)

Oregon looks to have its quarterback of the immediate future with backup Dante Moore set to take over for Dillon Gabriel as the Ducks’ starter next season.

Dan Lanning and Co. also have reserve Austin Novosad in the room and added four-star legacy QB Akili Smith Jr. in the 2025 class. But after losing five-star Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele to the transfer portal just weeks after signing him, the Ducks look to be in the market for a top 2026 quarterback. Earlier this month, No. 1 QB Jared Curtis named them among his top six schools, and they look to be a major contender — if not the slight leader — to land him.

But all eggs aren’t going in one basket. Folsom (Calif.) five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons is another prospect that UO has turned the heat up with. On Wednesday, Lanning, offensive coordinator Will Stein and multiple other staffers visited the ballyhooed passer at his school.

Lyons is the No. 10 overall prospect and No. 3 QB in the 2026 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 2 junior in California.

A member of the LDS church, he is likely to take a mission trip before joining whichever school he signs with, meaning he will most likely join that team in 2027 or 2028. But that isn’t stopping teams across the country from recruiting him.

The Ducks are one of them, but USC, North Carolina, Arizona, Michigan, and others are all in heavy pursuit as well. Lyons was the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder led his team to a 12-2 record, throwing for more than 2,900 yards and 44 touchdowns while also rushing for 556 yards and 12 TDs.

Lyons is one of only a few top QBs left uncommitted

At one point this fall, Lyons looked poised to commit with USC as the favorite to land him. But after coaching changes across the country, his recruitment is still up in the air.

“To be honest everything’s kind of confusing,” Lyons told ScoopDuck earlier this month. “I pretty much had a top five coming out and then stuff changes fast.”

BYU has become a major player in the race for Lyons, putting the full-court press on him over the past few months.

“There’s a lot of ties,” he added. “Obviously I’m LDS. It aligns with my faith. Both my parents went there. My sisters went there. I just have a lot of family,” he said. “They kind of really started to get involved in my recruitment maybe a couple months ago, like heavy into it. It’s been awesome.”

Ole Miss, Oregon and USC are other strong contenders for Lyons, who wants to commit early in this cycle to help build a recruiting class around him.

“I want to build a team around me. I think I’m a pretty good recruiter,” he said. “I think people want to play with me, so I want to build a team around me. So I have to have a little bit of time to do that. Definitely before my senior season starts, which could be in the next month, or could be in five months.”

The Ducks currently hold the country’s No. 1 class in 2026, headlined by five-star tight end Kendre Harrison and top-25 offensive tackle prospect Kodi Greene.