The Ohio State Buckeyes have continued to push hard in the recruitment of one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2026 class. But it doesn’t sound like the Buckeyes are moving the needle much.
At least that’s what On3’s Steve Wiltfong suggested when he provided an update into five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons’ recruitment on March 17. Wiltfong wrote that Lyons continues to have “strong” interest in the Buckeyes. However, the BYU Cougars, Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans are the quarterback’s top three schools.
“The On3 RPM favors the Trojans because he did nearly commit to the Trojans. Lyons confirmed that on Saturday while competing in the Overtime OT7 event,” Wiltfong wrote. “Lyons decided to wait and things continue to develop elsewhere. He said Oregon is recruiting him the hardest. BYU and their terrific season has his attention.”
Wiltfong added that Lyons plans to take visits to the Michigan Wolverines and Ole Miss Rebels. Similar to Ohio State, the quarterback has expressed strong interest in those two schools as well. But Wiltfong concluded arguing Oregon may be the school to beat.
“If [Jared] Curtis doesn’t land at Oregon, I think the Ducks will be tough to beat for Lyons,” wrote Wiltfong.
5⭐️ Ryder Lyons is SMOOTH😮💨
The QB has over 30 offers 👀 pic.twitter.com/fmEWLNYQoN
— Rivals (@Rivals) March 2, 2025
Curtis is the No. 1-ranked quarterback in the 2026 recruiting class. Curtis is between Oregon and the Georgia Bulldogs, so his decision will clearly impact Lyons, who is the No. 4 signal-caller in the class.
But even if Curtis lands with the Ducks to take Oregon off the table for Lyons, it sounds like Ohio State could be a long shot to sign Lyons.
In addition to being the No. 4 quarterback, Lyons is the 16th-ranked overall prospect in the 2026 recruiting class according to the 247Sports composite rankings. Lyons is also the No. 4 recruit from 2026 in California.
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