Walker Lyons
| No. 85 – USC Trojans | |
|---|---|
| Position | Tight end |
| Class | Sophomore |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 13, 2004 |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Folsom (Folsom, California) |
| College |
|
| Stats at ESPN | |
Walker Lyons (born March 13, 2004) is an American football tight end for the USC Trojans.
Early life
Lyons grew up in Folsom, California and attended Folsom High School. As a junior, he recorded 42 receptions for 646 yards and seven touchdowns, while also contributing with the defense and special teams. He would suffer a season-ending injury in the first game of his senior year.[1] He was then selected to the 2022 Preseason MaxPreps California All-State Team. In January 2023, Lyons was named the All-American Bowl's Man of the Year.[2] He would originally commit to play college football at Stanford[3] before changing his commitment[4] to play for USC.[5]
College career
Lyons opted to postpone playing college football to serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Norway, where he would start in early 2023.[6] He would return to play for the USC Trojans in 2024.[7]
During his true freshman season in 2024, he played in 11 games and started three of them, finishing the season with six catches for 36 yards.[8]
Personal life
Lyons is the grandson of director Kieth Merrill and is the older brother of Ryder Lyons.[9]
Lyons began dating Dancing with the Stars pro Rylee Arnold in October 2024.[10][11]
References
- ^ Long, Matt (August 21, 2022). "Lyons thankful, grateful for support from community". Gold Country Media. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ Ramos, Gus (January 6, 2023). "Walker Lyons Named All-American Bowl's Man of the Year". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ Huffman, Brandon (July 23, 2022). "Four-star TE Walker Lyons talks commitment to Stanford". 247Sports. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ Huffman, Brandon (November 28, 2022). "Top247 TE Walker Lyons opens up his recruitment, sets new signing timeline". 247Sports. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ Borba, Kevin (February 1, 2023). "Former Stanford commit Walker Lyons commits to USC". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ Toone, Trent (February 10, 2023). "Walker Lyons leaves USC college football for Church mission". Church News. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ @FightOnRusty (June 14, 2024). "4 star TE Walker Lyons has returned home from his LDS Mission. He'll spend a few days with family and be on campus soon ✌🏻 #FightOn✌🏻" (Tweet). Retrieved August 19, 2025 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Walker Lyons 2024 Gamelog". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ Toone, Trent (February 10, 2023). "Why top recruit Walker Lyons is stepping away from USC to serve a Latter-day Saint mission". Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ Longmire, Becca (October 28, 2024). "DWTS Pro Rylee Arnold Confirms Romance with USC Football Player: 'Is This a Hard Launch?'". People. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ Lau-Adams, Kristie (October 28, 2024). "DWTS Rylee Arnold Dating USC Football Player Walker Lyons". Us Weekly. Retrieved August 19, 2025.