5-star QB visiting Michigan football would be a perfect fit for Wolverines

Michigan football is building an elite quarterback room. Signing Bryce Underwood secured one of the best passers in all of college football.

It’s only a matter of time before Underwood takes over the starting job. He’s been compared to Vince Young and Cam Newton. He was also ranked higher than Arch Manning.

Underwood is going to be a superstar, but in recruiting, you’re always looking for the next thing, and Michigan football is looking to stack talent behind Underwood, as well as looking for someone to develop as his replacement after what will likely be just three seasons in Ann Arbor.

One ideal candidate to be the next starter for Michigan football after Underwood is five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons from the 2026 class. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound quarterback is ranked 14th overall in the 2026 class and fourth among quarterbacks.

Lyons was offered by Michigan football last February. There are several other elite programs who are part of an offer list that’s a who’s who of college football blue bloods. Ohio State was the most recent offer. The Buckeyes, USC, Oregon, and Michigan football are some of the teams in the mix for the Folsom, Calfiornia quarterback. BYU is another team to watch.

New Michigan football offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey has visited Lyons twice since joining the staff, and now, Lyons will make a trip to Ann Arbor on April 11-12 for an unofficial visit, according to Ethan McDowell of The Wolverine.com.

Why Ryder Lyons is an ideal fit for Michigan football

McDowell also reported that Lyons is actually going to be part of the 2027 class, technically, because he will be taking a mormon mission after high school. That timeline could work better for the Wolverines than most programs because if all goes according to plan with Underwood, he will be starting in 2025, 2026, and 2027.

The five-star recruit is an elite dual-threat who passed for over 3,500 yards and threw 38 touchdown passes as a sophomore in high school, as well as more than 900 rushing yards.

Lyons, if he signed with Michigan football, would join the team for the 2027 season and that could allow him to mentor under Bryce for a season before competing for the starting job. Trae Taylor is another name to know in the 2027 class.

Michigan football is a favorite for Taylor. Brady Smigiel, another top-100 quarterback in 2026, will visit this spring and in the summer.

Those are three quarterbacks to keep an eye on in the 2026 and 2027 class. Matt Ponatoski is another. There has been talk of him visiting Michigan this spring. He’s a four-star quarterback from the state of Ohio, as well as being an elite baseball player.