2026 five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons has "amazing" trip to Auburn

2026 five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons recently visited the Plains on his summer “southern tour” and left with high praise for Auburn. The Folsom, CA native, who is currently ranked as the number four recruit in his class, said the staff and campus left a “big impression” on him. That impression was supposedly enough for the highly coveted quarterback to exclaim he would “definitely be back” on the Plains for another visit soon.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, the California native feels that Hugh Freeze and his staff did a great job making him feel needed. “You want to go somewhere where you’re believed in, so that was a thing I liked.” Lyons comments come just days after 2025 four-star running back Ousame Kromah praised Auburn’s staff for conveying the same thing during his visit.

He further went on to praise Auburn’s campus culture, which has also become a key factor in many recruits decisions to become a Tiger. “I really liked the culture, you could just tell there’s something different about here, which is awesome.”

With plenty of time left in his recruiting process, and possibly a delayed start to his college career due to a mission trip after his senior year, Lyons commitment decision is likely a long way out. Still, his praise should be encouraging for an Auburn staff in search of finding their next quarterback after senior Payton Thorne moves on.

Along with Auburn, Lyons has made visits to Oregon, USC, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Alabama. That list is sure to grow in the coming months.

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