2026 five-star QB Ryder Lyons is one of the top players in the country, and after he takes his one-year mission trip, he would be the perfect player to learn under Bryce Underwood for a year before taking over as a sophomore:
Even though Bryce Underwood has not taken his first snap for the Michigan Wolverines , it’s never too early to plan for the future and look ahead to what may come next. Sherrone Moore and company are already doing their due diligence on one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2026 class, five-star Ryder Lyons .
A 6-foot-2.5, 215-pounder from Folsom, California, Lyons is regarded as a top-20 overall player in his class. He is currently predicted to land at Southern California and join his brother on the team, but the recent commitment of 2026 four-star Jonas Williams could complicate matters.
With teams like Oregon, BYU and Ole Miss, among others, also on his tail, Moore and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey are currently in the midst of a highly competitive battle to win Lyons’ commitment.
Notably, Lyons plans to take a mission trip before attending college, which will push his campus arrival back to 2027. Meaning that if Michigan were to land Lyons, his freshman year would coincide with Underwood’s (likely) final year in college, making Lyons the perfect successor.
By 2027, Underwood will hopefully be in his second or third season as the full-time starter and have the NFL Draft on the horizon. It would be the perfect timeline for Lyons to come in, learn from Underwood for a year and then take over the duties himself.
Lyons is a tremendous athlete with serious running abilities. He has a natural and effortless throwing motion, having thrown for 6,500 yards, 84 touchdowns and just 14 interceptions the last two years, while also chipping in 1,500 rushing yards and 38 more touchdowns on the ground.
California has a storied tradition of developing top quarterbacks and Lyons appears to be another special one. Here is some action from Lyons’ 7-on-7 matchup, via On3’s EJ Holland:
Five-star Michigan QB target Ryder Lyons (@ryderly0ns ) with the rare 7v7 rushing TD. Has a little JJ McCarthy to his game. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/cQr5Ce2EmY
— “EJ Holland” (@EJHollandOn3) March 15, 2025
Following Brady Hart’s reclassification and flip to Texas A&M back in the fall, the Wolverines do not have a quarterback in the 2026 class yet. 2027 feels far away, but it will be here before we know it, and Lyons should be at the forefront of the Wolverines’ recruiting efforts.
Underwood’s commitment was big for many reasons, but the possibility of becoming a destination spot for top-end talent at the position could set the program up for years. If this team can continue to sign J.J. McCarthy’s and Bryce Underwood’s of the world, coupled with the dominance in the trenches, nothing is stopping Moore from having Michigan in the College Football Playoff conversation for years to come.
Lyons will be an intriguing player to monitor moving forward, and with a spring visit to Ann Arbor coming up in a couple weeks, hopefully the Wolverines can make a serious move on him, lock in an official visit and establish themselves as a legitimate contender for a player that would be the perfect replacement for Underwood in 2028.