The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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44 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2025 BY EJ HOLLAND N ew Michigan offensive coordina- tor Chip Lindsey is in the midst of resetting the 2026 quarterback re- cruiting board. But it's no secret five-star Folsom (Calif.) High prospect Ryder Lyons has emerged as U-M's top option at the position. Both Lindsey and head coach Sherrone More visited Lyons during the winter contact period and are put- ting on the full court press. Lyons took part in the OT7 event in Dallas in March and showed some elite traits as well as room for improvement. "On Day 1, you saw the concerns we had with Ryder show up," said On3 scouting and rankings assistant Cody Bellaire. "The tape shows you the es- capability and the ability to function off platform. It's sort of this backyard style of football where he's running around, escaping pressure and finding his guys downfield. In 7v7, you have this clock that forces you to go through your reads, go through your progres- sions and find receivers quickly. "We were unsure how he would look because he was going to be asked to do something that you don't see him do very much of on tape. That was kind of exposed. He was patting the ball, was hesitant to pull the trigger and strug- gled a little bit with the game moving too fast. Day 2, you saw him let it rip more often, which was exciting to see. "He was a little more decisive on Day 2, but there were some accuracy issues. He was missing high a lot. That could be a base or footwork issue. The big thing for him going to the next level is being able to scan the field, diagnose and go through his reads. We need to see him progress in this setting and have it translate to the field. He has a great arm. We for sure realized that in this setting. The arm strength is real." While Lyons can be better on short- to-intermediate throws, he has plenty of arm talent and is very capable of pushing the ball downfield. He's also an exciting athlete who can extend plays and be a true threat with his legs. That's a big reason why Lyons is ranked as the No. 10 overall prospect nation- ally, per the On3 Industry Ranking. In fact, Lyons may remind Michi- gan fans a bit of former quarterback J.J. McCarthy. "The escapability is similar," Bellaire said. "Both of those guys do a great job of creating with their legs. They turn negative plays into positive plays simply by being able to maneuver in the pocket and by being quality ath- letes. I think that's something that's very obvious. "I think J.J. processed the game a lit- tle faster than Ryder Lyons does at this point. I think there are moments where you look on Ryder Lyons' tape, and I'm not entirely sure he knows what he's looking at. J.J., on his high school tape, was more of a decisive trigger-puller than Ryder. I would argue that Ryder may have better off-platform charac- teristics. "I do see some similarities to their games and how Ryder could potentially project to be a guy like J.J. McCarthy both collegiately and beyond. The arm talent is relatively similar. "They are both quality athletes. Ry- der may be a little thicker at this point than J.J. was. But the big thing for Ry- der to make the jump into the upper echelon of quarterbacks is for him to be more decisive within structure as opposed to solely thriving outside of structure." The other key difference is McCarthy was ready to roll as a true freshman. On the flip side of the coin, Lyons will be embarking on a 12- to 18-month mis- sion as a member of the Church of Je- ❱ MICHIGAN RECRUITING NOTEBOOK Breaking Down Five-Star QB Target Ryder Lyons Five-star Folsom (Calif.) High prospect Ryder Lyons has emerged at the top of Michigan's 2026 quarterback recruiting board. He intends to do a mission trip after high school and enroll at the college of his choice in 2027. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND