BYU, Utah Among Top Schools For Four-Star Tight End Recruit
Feb 10, 2022, 12:39 PM | Updated: 12:43 pm
Kyle Whittingham head coach of the Utah Utes talks with Kalani Sitake head coach of the BYU Cougars before their game September 11, 2021 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Logan, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – BYU and Utah are in the “final six” for one of the nation’s top tight ends in the class of 2023.
Walker Lyons from Folsom, California, trimmed down his Top 11 teams in his recruitment down to six. One of the final six wasn’t previously in the Top 11, Utah.
Final Six…⏳What the move?? pic.twitter.com/7ptHVb79I0
— Walker Lyons (@walkerly0ns) February 10, 2022
On New Year’s Day, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound prospect attended the Rose Bowl between the Pac-12 Champion Utes and Ohio State. Weeks after the Rose Bowl, Lyons made an unofficial visit on the Hill that helped the Utes climb into the top six for the 247Sports Composite’s 73rd overall recruit in the 2023 class.
Lyons has strong ties to the BYU football program. His father, Tim Lyons, was a defensive back for BYU during the special 14-1 season in 1996.
BYU was one of the first programs to offer a scholarship to Lyons, who has since amassed 30 offers that includes programs from all Power Conferences.
Lyons took an unofficial visit to see BYU during their victory over Utah back in September.
Walker Lyons drops “Final Six”
The rest of Lyons’ “final six” includes Alabama, Ohio State, Stanford, and USC. Alabama head coach Nick Saban recently visited Lyons’ high school in Northern California on the same day that BYU’s Kalani Sitake was roaming the halls of Folsom High School.
Some of the schools dropped from Lyons’ Top 11 include Ole Miss, UCLA, Washington, Michigan, Oregon, and Texas.
Lyons had 42 receptions for 646 yards and seven touchdowns during his junior year at Folsom. He averaged 15.4 yards per catch last season.
Lyons is the fourth-ranked tight end nationally per the 247Sports Composite. The heralded recruit will play in the 2023 All-American Bowl, which features the top recruits in America, on KSL 5 TV on January 7, 2023.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
