BYU’s best recruit in the Kalani Sitake era pulled a page from the AJ Dybantsa playbook and announced his commitment on ESPN.
Ryder Lyons, the Cougars’ first five-star quarterback in decades, shared his news on “The Pat McAfee Show.” So one of ESPN’s most eccentric personalities shared his thoughts on Lyons, BYU, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and LDS Church missions.
Here are some snippets of what he said.
On Lyons and NIL
McAfee was complimentary of BYU’s future leader. The last five-star recruit BYU had was Jake Heaps in 2009.
“You’re a beast. You’re an absolute monster. It was fun to watch you,” McAfee said to Lyons. “The way you spin it, the way you run and the way you lead your team, I think, is a beautiful thing. And why every college in the country wants you to be their quarterback.”
Lyons was rated the fifth-best quarterback in the country and was the Gatorade Player of the Year in California as a junior. He threw for almost 3,000 yards, 44 touchdowns and added 12 rushing touchdowns.
Lyons received his first offer in eighth grade from BYU. McAfee was stunned. “How does that even happen?” he said.
But he also worried about the Name, Image and Likeness aspect of a 14-year-old getting that offer. Lyons already has an agent and admitted it can be hard.
“I do have someone who handles it for me. I have an agent; I have a whole team,” Lyons said. “But it’s confusing. You’re thrown a lot of money from a lot of different places. You’ve got to obviously stay humble. Money’s not the biggest part. The biggest part is making it to the NFL. That’s where the serious money is, where the long-term money is.”
“He’s like a 45-year-old,” McAfee said of Lyons. “I did appreciate [Lyons] addressing the money being tossed at you. How it’s confusing. I can see it being very difficult. He gets his first scholarship offer in eighth grade. ... So the amount of attention that he’s had in his hometown, obviously, in the state, I think you’ve got to be a certain level of mature to be able to handle all that. Feels like he’s got his head on straight.”
(Richard W. Rodriguez | AP) Cold Hearts quarterback Ryder Lyons (3) throws a pass against the City Reapers in an OT7 Football game Saturday, March 15, 2025 in Dallas.
On Missions and the LDS Church
McAfee drifted into a discussion about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after Lyons committed to BYU.
McAfee was a punter on the Indianapolis Colts, where he was teammates with former BYU great Austin Collie. As McAfee tried to explain Lyons’ decision to go on a church mission next year, the ESPN host referenced his conversations with Collie.
“I don’t know if it’s every person, forgive me if I don’t get all the facts right,” McAfee said. “Austin Collie was my teammate, and he ran through the entire Mormon religion with me on numerous [occasions]. Because I think Mitt Romney was going to be president at the time. So I was like, ‘I would like to learn about this religion.’ ... The mission, I believe, is like a huge honor, because it is a calling from God, basically, to go serve the Mormon religion, right?“
Lyons responded, “That is it.”
McAfee continued, “So this is considered a massive ordeal, I believe, for probably you, your family and everybody in the morning in the LDS religion, right?”
Lyons said he will submit his paperwork for his mission in August. McAfee thought leaving for a mission before college was more beneficial than leaving after a year of playing.
Collie, for example, played his freshman year at BYU and then left for a mission before returning.
“He’ll be able to bounce back into it,” McAfee said. “But that year, I think the amount of growth that he’s going to have as a human is insane. Maybe comes back as an even better football player, or maybe it takes a little bit to get back into it.”
He mentioned he didn’t know any members of the church before Collie.
“Everybody knows I’ve not met a Mormon or hung around Mormons,” McAfee said. “So I got out here with Austin [and] they all have this good vibes. Real bro vibes, laid back. Great athletes.”
On Kalani Sitake
McAfee, also a member of ESPN’s College GameDay, knows Sitake. He mentioned his thoughts on the program that Lyons is set to lead.
“Beautiful Utah and the Cougars were 11-2 last year,” McAfee said. “Coach Kalani Sitake, obviously been a staple for BYU football for a long time.”
Sitake is going into his 10th season as the head coach and just received a contract extension after last year.
