What's next for Oregon Football at QB position after 5-star Ryder Lyons' announcement?

USA Today

6 hours ago

On Tuesday morning, the Oregon Ducks saw the second 5-star quarterback in the 2026 class list them as a finalist in their recruitment, and then chose another school in the end. Earlier this spring, it was 5-star Jared Curtis who chose the Georgia Bulldogs over the Ducks, while Tuesday saw 5-star Ryder Lyons choose the BYU Cougars over Oregon.
While unfortunate and somewhat frustrating for fans, it's admittedly not the end of the world. Lyons may be in the 2026 class, but because of a post-high school LDS mission, he won't be enrolling until 2027.
Still, losing Lyons means that the Ducks need to land another passer in the 2026 class to keep their QB room full and stocked with talent. There are a couple of names on the board, and a broader conversation to be had about what the future of recruiting for the position looks like.
Let's start with some names to know in the immediate future.
4-star QB Bryson Beaver
Oregon was in early on former Boise State Broncos commit Bryson Beaver, who opened up his recruitment a couple of weeks ago after receiving an Oregon offer, and has since seen his recruitment blow up. In that time, Beaver has received multiple offers from SEC schools like Ole Miss, LSU, and Auburn, and has been named one of the top players at the Elite 11 Finals.
While Oregon may have been in on him early, it's looking like landing him may be more difficult than originally anticipated. The Ducks are still the leader in the clubhouse to get Beaver at the moment, but his recruitment could go on a couple more months and into the season, so it's one to keep tabs on.
4-star Matt Ponatoski
Another name to know is Matt Ponatoski, a 4-star recruit out of Ohio who is just as good, if not better, at baseball than he is football.
Earlier this year, Ponatoski accomplished a rare feat, winning the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year for both football and baseball, which is something that has been done in two sports by only three players in the last 40 years: Ponatoski, Randy Moss, and Matt Bauer.
While there is an expectation that Ponatoski will announce his commitment between Oregon and the Kentucky Wildcats later this week, questions remain about his future. As such a highly-touted baseball prospect, a future exists where he gets drafted highly in the MLB draft this year, and doesn't end up playing any college football, choosing to go straight to the minor leagues out of high school.
Because of this he may be viewed as a riskier QB prospect than Beaver for the Ducks' case.
The Future of Oregon QBs
While it is currently up in the air who Oregon is going to get at QB in this class, there should be some confidence that Dan Lanning and Will Stein will secure somebody before all is said and done. Where they fit into the future plans is a different question.
Either Dante Moore or Austin Novosad will be the starting QB in 2025, and it's fair to assume that the QB1 this season will stay on as the QB1 in 2026 as well. Then in 2027, the job is open once again for anyone to grab.
So who will that be? Your answer depends entirely on your confidence level in the guys currently in the room. It could be Luke Moga or Akili Smith Jr., both of whom came to Oregon as solid recruits with a plan to develop in the system. It could be Beaver, Ponatoski, or an unnamed QB in the 2026 class who sits for a year in 2026 and then beats at the others for the starting job in 2027.
It also could be that Oregon chooses to go back into the transfer portal for a year and get their passer that way, hoping that a QB they get in the 2027 class can develop behind them and take over down the road.
No matter what happens, it's become entirely clear that the Ducks have a lot of talented individuals in the QB room, and a great track record of developing those players into stars. Whoever ends up stepping in as the QB1 in 2025, 2026, 2027, and beyond should garner the utmost confidence from the fanbase as Lanning and Stein build this program out into the future.
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