Dueling 5-star prospects visiting BYU, Utah during high-level recruiting weekend

PROVO — More than 120 days until BYU and Utah meet on the football field at LaVell Edwards Stadium, the two Big 12 programs in the state are dueling with top prospects this weekend.

In the blue corner, the Cougars will be hosting five-star Folsom (California) quarterback Ryder Lyons over the weekend. And in the red corner and weighing in at 275 pounds on his 6-foot-6 frame, five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo will be 50 miles north to see what the Utes have to offer.

Both could end up becoming the highest-rated commitment in program history.

Indeed, the weekend of June 20 will go a long way toward deciding the 2026 recruiting class, where BYU has received commitments from 12 prospects.

The headliner — or co-headliner, as it may become — is Brock Harris, the 6-foot-6, 268-pound tight end from Pine View High whose 0.9719 composite rating makes him the third-highest rated BYU commit in the 247Sports era.

Lyons would surpass that mark with his 0.9901 composite rating — though that's nothing against Harris. Indeed, the two will both be on campus, with the sure-handed pass catcher will likely try to convince him of what they could do together when both return from missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Faith plays a role in Lyons' interest in BYU, as does a family heritage that includes his father, Tim, who played defensive back for the Cougars in 1996 and 1997. But mostly, his interest with the school is about BYU's 11-2 campaign in 2024 and success under Sitake.

"I just want to win, so seeing what they did last season, seeing how they played and knowing the trajectory of the program did a lot for me," Lyons told On3 Sports recently. "I am a competitor. Having a chance to win is something very important to me. They were right there last season, they won a lot of games, and it looks like they can build on that. That was big for me to see."

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound signal caller who completed 68% of his passes last year for 3,011 yards and 46 touchdowns with just six interceptions (while running for 585 yards and 14 scores) is the biggest fish that Kalani Sitake and offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick will hope to catch this week.

He announced Wednesday night that he'll commit June 24, making BYU the final stop for arguably the top uncommitted quarterback in the country who was once a USC lean before canceling his visit to the Trojans at the beginning of June.

But he's not the only one.

Some two dozen recruits from the Class of 2026 will be in Provo between Thursday and Saturday, according to estimates from 247Sports and others.

That includes Lyons, Harris and a number of Utah high school standouts — names like Lone Peak four-star offensive lineman Bott Mulitalo and Lehi two-way athlete Legend Glasker, who have already committed to the Cougars, and Olympus linebacker Adam Bywater, fresh off back-to-back visits to Boise State and Utah.

"I've been going to BYU camps for my whole life," Bywater, the younger brother of former BYU standout Ben Bywater, told SI BYU. "But these past couple of years I really got to know coach (Justin) Ena and coach (Jay) Hill, and I performed well at the camps. And (we) stayed in contact."

The list grew as recently as this week, when California cornerback Jaxson Gates announced on social media that he would visit BYU, too. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound defensive back has been committed to Syracuse over interest from Michigan State, Utah and others since November — but the Cougars recently flipped wide receiver Terrance Saryon from Washington, so commitments can change.

Speaking of change, the Utes have some work to do with Ojo, who is visiting Utah after trips to Florida, Ohio State, Michigan and Texas in the past month. The Mansfield, Texas, product, who is the fifth-rated prospect in the nation by 247Sports, told Orange Bloods' Jason Suchomel the former BYU quarterback Steve Sarkisian's Longhorns rank highest on his list at the moment.

"Right now," he said, "Texas is the team to beat."

The Utes have received commitments from six prospects in the Class of 2026, headlined by League City, Texas, pass rusher Preston Pitts and Hampton, Georgia, quarterback Michael Johnson.

Head coach Kyle Whittingham will look to add to the class with visits from Ojo, as well as 6-foot-1 Timpview cornerback Aisa Galea'i, San Francisco athlete Perrion Williams, and offensive lineman Rowdy Pearce from Midland, Texas, among others.

It's all set up for a June push while teams put the final touches on the 2026 recruiting class before training camp starts in August.

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