Tag: walker lyons

Tight end is becoming a weapon in Lincoln Riley’s third year at USC

Lincoln Riley’s use of the tight end spot is opening up opportunities for the USC passing game. The Trojans are collecting lots of first downs and yards.

Lincoln Riley’s USC offense did not seem to use the tight end position with great frequency under Caleb Williams, but that has changed with Miller Moss. Riley spoke after the win over Utah State about this. If you watched the game, you would have seen tight ends Lake McRee, Kade Eldridge and Walker Lyons in 12 personnel, finding ways to get open and give balance to the USC offense.

McRee said that Miller Moss likes to find the tight ends. It shows on the field, that’s for sure.

All of this is a callback to Riley’s Oklahoma years.

In Riley’s inaugural season as head coach at Oklahoma in 2017, junior tight end Mark Andrews had a breakout year. He accumulated an impressive 62 receptions for the Sooners, totaling 958 receiving yards and scoring eight touchdowns. Andrews’ outstanding performance earned him consensus All-America honors in 2017, making him the only Sooner to receive the prestigious John Mackey Award, which recognizes the top tight end in college football. Remarkably, he ranked among the top 10 receivers in the Big 12 Conference in terms of receptions, yards, and touchdowns.

Lincoln Riley is using the tight end as both a safety valve and as a downfield weapon for Miller Moss. When linebackers cheat up in the tackle box to stop the run, Riley is using the tight end to slip behind them in the vacated spot in the middle third of the field. Riley has made some very conscious tactical adjustments for USC in its first two games of the season, and the tight ends have often been central parts of those chess moves.

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2023 might not show it, but USC is thinking ahead to the Big Ten

2023 is the main focus right now, but if we do peek ahead to 2024, #USC and Lincoln Riley are already planning ahead.

Lincoln Riley has the advantage in 2023 of being able to deploy Caleb Williams at quarterback at USC. Riley can hand Williams the keys to the car and let his elite signal-caller make magic. No, Riley still has to do some real coaching, but in Caleb Williams, he has a fully-formed player to work with. It’s certainly not a situation in which a coach has to build a player from scratch and create good habits. Caleb has the habits. USC’s offense won’t face a steep learning curve this year.

Next year, however, there will be more of a learning curve with Miller Moss or Malachi Nelson at quarterback. USC will need more and better tools on offense. One Oregon writer is thinking about this.

Miles Dwyer of Ducks Wire wrote about Walker Lyons, who will serve a Mormon mission abroad this year and won’t play for USC until 2024 in the Big Ten.

“The other half of USCs class of the 2023 TE duo is Walker Lyons. Lyons may not have the name recognition of (Duce) Robinson, but he has the potential and talent to be just as good or better. As I alluded to above, USC didn’t use TEs much when passing in 2022, which was largely because of the absence of a strong TE. The additions of Lyons and Robinson may change Lincoln Riley’s offensive plans quite a bit in order to maximize the ability of their young TEs.”

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Walker Lyons stuns college football by landing at USC

Four-star tight end Walker Lyons chose #USC over Georgia, Utah, and BYU in an attention-grabbing decision.

National signing day in 2023 was expected to provide some movement from the top teams in the country. However, it started off with a stunning decision.

Walker Lyons, one of the top-ranked tight ends in the class, announced he is committing to the USC Trojans. He posted a picture on his Twitter page.

The four-star tight end was reportedly choosing between Utah and Georgia as his final two after he initially committed to Stanford, so landing at USC is a massive surprise for many across the country.

The Folsom High School star was impressed by how hard Lincoln Riley recruited him (h/t Hayes Fawcett of On3).

“Coach Riley recruited me harder than any other coach in the country, he is one of the best minds in college football and I trust him to involve me in the offense and in the pass game,” Lyons said.

Riley’s approach worked, and Lyons will be a USC Trojan as a result.

However, Lyons is set to begin his mission for the LDS in Norway, so he won’t be playing football until 2024. A lot can change from now until then, but we can envision a USC offense with Malachi Nelson, Zachariah Branch, and Makai Lemon with Walker Lyons at tight end. Watch out.

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Folsom four-star tight end Walker Lyons commits to USC

Lyons (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) is ranked No. 5 among tight ends in this class and No. 10 in the state of California.

It’s National Signing Day and several highly-ranked recruits in the class of 2023 are expected to make their decisions today.

The first big domino to drop is Folsom (Calif.) four-star tight end Walker Lyons. He has committed to USC, announcing the news himself on Twitter.

Lyons (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) is ranked No. 5 among tight ends in this class and No. 10 in the state of California.

The Trojans won out over 32 other programs that made Lyons an offer, including BYU, Georgia, Utah, and Stanford – where he was previously committed. Lyons told On3 that coach Lincoln Riley recruited him harder than anyone else in the country and trusts him to get him involved.

“What stood out was the ability to be able to play top tier football while getting a top tier education from a prestigious university… Coach Riley recruited me harder than any other coach in the country, he is one of the best minds in college football and I trust him to involve me in the offense and in the pass game.”

USC’s class of 2023 ranks first in the Pac-12 and No. 8 in the nation.

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4-star TE Walker Lyons makes commitment

The Georgia Bulldogs miss out on 4-star California tight end recruit Walker Lyons.

The Georgia Bulldogs were a team to watch for four-star tight end prospect Walker Lyons. However, Lyons has committed to the USC Trojans.

Georgia tight end coach Todd Hartley has been one of college football’s best recruiters recently, but he missed on Lyons, who will go on a mission trip to Norway for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Lyons’ commitment is a big addition for USC. The Trojans have the No. 8 class in the country, per 247 Sports.

Hartley already has secured an elite class in 2023. Georgia football signed a pair of four-star recruits, Pearce Spurlin and Lawson Luckie. Tight ends across the country are impressed with Hartley’s work with Brock Bowers and the important role tight ends play in the Georgia offense. Consequently, Georgia’s not as much of a destination for wide receiver recruits.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound tight end is the No. 5 player at his position in the class of 2023. Lyons is the No. 123 overall recruit in the country. Lyons played high school football for Folsom High School in Folsom, California.

The four-star tight end was also considering Utah. He was previously committed to Stanford.

Several members of Georgia’s coaching staff, including Kirby Smart, visited Lyons in January ahead of his decision.

Lyons announced his commitment to the USC Trojans via his Twitter account:

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Every tight end that Texas has offered in the 2023 recruiting class

Texas has extended an offer to seven tight ends in the 2023 class up to this point.

Texas lost two of their top tight ends this offseason with Cade Brewer entering the NFL draft and Jared Wiley transferring to TCU. Continue reading “Every tight end that Texas has offered in the 2023 recruiting class”

Ohio State makes top six for highly rated 2023 tight end

Four-star tight end, Walker Lyons has included Ohio State in his top 6. #GoBucks

Ohio State found out recently that the No. 1 receiver in the 2023 class would be visiting in April. The Buckeyes got more good news on Thursday when four-star tight end Walker Lyons trimmed his list with OSU making the cut.

Lyons is rated as the No. 4 tight end in the 2023 class and a top 100 prospect overall according to 247Sports composite rankings. The Folsom, California native comes in with excellent size at 6-foot, 4-inches, and 230-pounds.

The young man apparently also loves the capital city telling On3 his thoughts on Ohio State saying “Me and the coaching staff have built a very good relationship and I am super excited for the future. They are headed in a great direction and Columbus is amazing.”

The Bucks already have one tight end committed in the 2023 class by the name of Ty Lockwood, who is also a top-10 prospect at the position.

Joining Ohio State on Lyons’ shortlist is Alabama, BYU, Stanford, USC, and Utah.

Lyons is yet to set a date for a commitment, but for now, it’s good to know the Buckeyes are still in the running.

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Four-star TE Walker Lyons announces top schools, Texas makes the cut

Lyons is the No. 3 tight end in the country for the 2023 class.

Texas is in the mix for one of the top prospects in the country for the 2023 recruiting class. Continue reading “Four-star TE Walker Lyons announces top schools, Texas makes the cut”