Utah Utes: Player Watch – WR Taeshaun Lyons

The Player Watch, highlighting Utah Utes wide receiver Taeshaun Lyons.

• Taeshaun Lyons
• Position: Wide Receiver
• Utah Utes
• 6’1” 170 lbs

Who is Taeshaun Lyons?

Taeshaun Lyons was a 4⭐️ in the composites and attended Tennyson High in California. Lyons had a sensational Senior season where he had 47 receptions for 1,007 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a Junior, Lyons scored 16 touchdowns on 31 receptions while facing competition that wasn’t up to par. Lyons was part of the 2023 recruiting class and initially committed to Washington.

Lyons appeared in two games for Washington. Due to the depth at the position, he did not make an impact. Instead of staying in a rebuilding program, Lyons entered the transfer portal and ended up with the Utah Utes – where he will look to gain traction with a new program.

Taeshaun Lyons is a former track athlete and that speed is evident on the football field. Lyons has multiple gears, flashing that extra gear late to gain separation on his routes. He is best at vertical routes and has good ball tracking skills. His speed makes it hard to overthrow him. Lyons is a big play waiting to happen every time. He’s also a fluid mover and great with the ball in his hands.

As a Senior in high school, Lyons averaged over 20 yards a reception. That deep threat speed will help the Utah Utes, as they lacked a vertical threat as wide receiver. Lyons should pair well with Dorian Singer, as both players stretch the field and clear the intermediate to short routes for the rest of the team.

Couple highlights from underrated 2023 WR Taeshaun Lyons (@LyonsTaeshaun). He gets open seemingly every play. pic.twitter.com/dpvTGpm5gE

— solvingfootball (@solvingfootball) October 15, 2022

Lyons is a lanky athlete. He will need to add on another 10-15 pounds to his frame, but for now, he should use his speed and wiry frame to stretch opposing defenses. Lyons can impact defenses, forcing them to respect his speed. The Utes could use that to their advantage; and with Singer operating underneath and the tight ends working the opposite side, it frees up a lot of space for everyone to be able to operate. Lyons has a verified 100-meter dash time of 11.03 as a Junior in High School. He should be the burner for the Utes as wide receiver Money Parks operates as the slot receiver.

Strengths

Taeshaun Lyons has speed and the ability to be electric. In short, he can take it to the house each time he has the ball in his hands. Lyons can and will vertically stress a defense. With Cam Rising back, opposing teams will have to respect that threat on a per snap basis.

Lyons can also operate in space and has good vision to create after the catch. Being a former track athlete, Lyons will become a major mismatch if Utah uses him in motion and move him around the formation to get him in space. With strong ball tracking ability and multiple gears of speed, Lyons should be used to run gassers and help clear out the field and create spacing. 

Areas of Improvement & Concern

Taeshaun Lyons wasn’t able to make an impact at all as a true Freshman, and is now at a different program heading into 2024. While Washington went through coaching changes, it is something to note that his old coaching staff did not fight for him to come to Alabama. Instead, he ends up with the Utah Utes with a coaching staff who did not recruit him to begin with.

Another concern is the Utah football team’s system has been more reserved. They will focus on the defense and run the ball on offense to shorten the game and allow their defense to rest. With Cam Rising coming back from an ACL tear and missing a year, the coaching staff could decide to bring Rising back slowly. That means the offense could be more slow paced and the opportunities will not be there for Lyons to make an impact.

Lyons played suspect competition at the high school level. That learning curve could still be too much and Lyons could simply not be ready to contribute for the Utah Utes.

Positional Outlook

The Utah Utes need an electric playmaker at wide receiver. They simply did not have any weapons to threaten a defense vertically. The Utes went into the portal and grabbed Singer and Taeshaun Lyons, both players that have speed and can win vertically.

Utah Utes quarterback Cam Rising likes to bide time and look to make the big play. With Lyons being able to cause havoc on deep routes, Rising can throw him the deep ball and cause chaos on opposing defenses.

It’s not without reason to expect Dorian Singer operating one boundary position, with Money Parks operating out of the slot. That allows Lyons to operate the other boundary position. There, he can be used vertically and in short area manufactured touches, where Utah can give Lyons the ball in space to create. They can use Lyons on jet sweeps, push passes and orbit sweeps to create confusion to opposing defenses. Later in games, it will allow Utah to be able to throw over the defense with that confusion with Lyons motioning pre snap. 

Pathway to Success

The Utah Utes needed an influx of talent to their wide receiver room. So, they went through the portal and grabbed Taeshaun Lyons and Dorian Singer. That should be viewed as a sign of confidence, as the Utes didn’t go out to grab another player alongside him. On paper, Lyons appears to have a role with Utah, and the Utes appear to be giving him every chance to succeed.

If Lyons can get on the same page and learn what Cam Rising wants in his receivers, the two could build a rapport and the offense can fire on all cylinders early on and pay dividends. 

2024 Outlook

I expect Taeshaun Lyons to win the other boundary position opposite of Dorian Singer. Lyons can be used as a speed receiver who can clear space underneath for his teammates I expect him to earn about 3-5 targets per game with a couple of deep shots and manufactured touches in place. Lyons can be a complementary piece to Dorian Singer and Money Parks and build on his role as a field stretching wide receiver.