Wayne Lyons nominated for Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year

What an honor to be nominated for this award.

Another Offer for Lyons

Western Kentucky University's new head coach Willie Taggert waisted no time sending a recruiter to Dillard High School to offer me a scholarship. Coach Mike Dietzel came by the school today to meet me and inform me in person of the offer.

Additional Offers for Lyons

South Carolina and Rutgers offers came through this week.

More offers for Lyons

Very busy week in the recruiting area. As the contact period started this week, coaches have been visiting the school daily. Now that they can contact us in person, I am finding out that there were more offers that I wasn't aware of. The latest two offers have already been made.

Wayne Lyons gets another SEC Offer

I received a visit today from Ole Miss. My head coach was informed that I had been offered awhile ago, but we hadn't received anything. I definitely appreciate the offer.

Analysis: Lemming's junior All-Americans - MaxPreps News

Analysis: Lemming's junior All-Americans - MaxPreps News

Wayne Lyons selected as an All American

#21 Wayne Lyons Junior Season Highlights #1

2009 Football Season: Week 11 vs Miramar

This week is our final game as we play Miramar High School at Miramar on Friday, November 13, 2009 at 7pm. This has been a long season, with many ups and downs.

• Update: Terrible way to end the season, lost 37-0. They way I look at we have 9 months to get ready for next season. Two weeks to rest the body then I will start training for the Army National Combine, then track season.

2009 Football Season: Week 10 vs Blanche Ely

This is Rivalry Week and the annual "Soul Bowl". This year the rivalry is even more important as it has playoff implications attached to it. The winner is assured a playoff birth. We have to "Play Hard or Stay Home." The game will be played on Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 7pm at Lockhart Stadium.

• Update: Although it was a tough fight, we fell short 34-21 and out of the playoff race.

Lyons is more than a football player

Lyons is more than a football player

2009 Football Season: Week 9 vs Everglades

This week's opponent is Everglades High School on Friday, October 30, 2009 at 7pm. The game will be held at Dillard.

• Update: We got a much needed win, 14-10 heading into the final district game of the year. Not sure of my exact stats yet but I did make a few big plays, including a stop at the end of the game to force a fumble and seal the victory. Once coach provides the stats, I will update again. Stay tuned....

2009 Football Season: Week 8 vs South Plantation

This week is Homecoming against South Plantation High School on Saturday, October 24, 2009 @ Dillard. Game starts at 7:00PM. Hopefully we will bounce back and add a "W" in the win column.

• Update: 12 tackles, 6 for loses, a safety and a 40+ yard kickoff return all in vain. We lost our homecoming game 34-16. We have a record of 2-5. The first loosing record I have ever been a part of. What a terrible feeling. We have to find a way to turn things around.

2009 Football Season: Week 7 vs Plantation

This weeks opponent is Plantation High School on Friday, October 16, 2009 at 7:00pm. The game will be played at Dillard.

• Update: Plantation won 39-14. Terrible lost. Too many turnovers and mental mistakes. Although we cause man turnovers as well, we didn't capitalize on them like Plantation did. I did score on a 46 yard fumble recovery. I also had 7 tackles, including a couple for loses. Our offense is still trying to find chemistry. Hopefully we'll pull it together for this week's homecoming game. This week the defense folded a bit, giving up 3 touchdowns (the most all season). I won't QUIT!!!

2009 Football Season: Week 6 vs Boyd Anderson

This week features our first District game of the Season with cross town rivalry, Boyd Anderson (BA). This should prove to be a really good match-up. With only 3 teams in our district, this is a very critical game for both teams. Game will be played on Saturday, October 10, 2009 at Lockhart Stadium.

• Update: BA 13 - Dillard 10. Another heartbreaking loss. Still haven't gotten over it. Had a good game, finished with 12 tackles, 1 for a loss, and 1 assist.

2009 Football Season: Week 5 vs Cypress Bay

This week's game featured Cypress Bay at Dillard on Friday, October 2, 2009 at Dillard.

• Update: A tough game that was pulled out in the 4th quarter, as we won 16-15. Discipline reasons had our starting fullback and tail back benched for the first half. Defense held its ground as the halftime score was 2-0. Both backs scored in the second half and on defense we made some huge stops at critical times to hold off a late 4th quarter run for the Lighting. I ended the game with at least 8 tackles (3) for loses, including the last play for the lighting on 4th down. I'm really starting to get my swagger on in the new Safety Position...

2009 Football Season : Week 4 vs Douglas

• This week's game will be at Dillard on Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 7:0pm

Update: Great Win! 38-28 Our offense finally started clicking. Defense gave up one big play while turnovers lead to scores by Douglas. We will continue to work hard to minimize the mental mistakes. I finished the game with 7 tackles, 2 forced fumbles and a couple of pass deflections.

2009 Football Season : Week 3 vs Northeast

Game will be Thursday, September 17, 2009 at Northeast. Kick off Time is 7:00pm.

• Update: We lost the game 8-2. Another heart breaker. We have to break this loosing streak.

2009 Football Season : Week 2 vs Deerfield Beach

Season kicks off with a tough opponent Deerfield Beach. This is a special game because this is the school my new Head Coach Manny Martin came from and was defensive coordinator. Have to play tough and pull out a win for Coach Martin.

• Heart-breaking lost 15-14 on a last minute field goal. Team did show a lot of positives but we have to correct and limit the mental mistakes, especially the penalties. I had a good game, caused two forced fumbles, made a few big plays and tallied between 9-10 tackles. In evaluating myself, I need to work on my coverage skills and stop looking in the backfield so much. This is something I am going to focus on this week in practice.

• Audio Interview for Broward Game of the Week: #21 Wayne Lyons - Dillard Panthers

2009 Football Season : Week 1 Updates

We started the season with a BYE. I can't wait for next Friday to get here to officially kick off the season. As a team, we had a really good practices this week. Bad weather kept us inside a couple of days. We worked out in the weight room and conditioning in the gym on those days.

Wayne Lyons Pre-Season Football Rankings

As the 2011 Recruiting Process kicks off, along comes National Rankings. I am very fortunate to be named to two of the top National Ranking Systems. I am included in the 2011 Scout 100 and the 2011 ESPN 150 Watch List.

Let the Offers Begin.... September 1, 2009

The Official Offers are Coming In....What a blessing to receive these offers so early in the process.

• Stanford's Coach Harbaugh kicked off my official recruiting process with my first written scholarship offer. I received an email early this morning, with an attached offer, from Coach Harbaugh . He stated that there will be a faxed copy sent to the school and an original sent to my home.

• West Virginia's offer came across the fax at my school (Dillard) this morning, offering a full scholarship.

• Received fax notification from Notre Dame noting they are officially offering with the original being sent to my home.

• Duke University sent an written offer over the fax to my high school. I received this offer from my coach after practice.

• 

  I also received Tennessee's written offer after school. The offer was faxed to the school earlier in the day.

• Vanderbilt mailed their offer to my high school on September 1, although I didn't receive it until September 8. The offer was dated and postmarked on 9/1/09.

Getting to Know Wayne Lyons

Click on the Blog Archives below to view my bio and older posts on the bottom right side of the page...

Let the Season Begin...

Hard Hitting Action...

Thursday, August 27, 2009 we played North Miami Senior in our Kickoff Classic to start the 2009 Season. We won the game 21-0 as the defense made a dominating showing, scoring 18 points. I started the scoring with a safety as I blew up a screen play in the endzone. On another screen play attempted by NMS, I hit the receiver so hard his helmet flew 5 yards down the field. I finished the game with 5 tackles. Junior LB Conard Johnson returned a interception 45 yards for a TD. Junior CB Allen Ramsey capped off another scoring on defense with a interception run back from 105 yards. We had another safety early in the third quarter. The offense finish the scoring with a 4th quarter field goal.

Lyons committed to being #1 on and off the field...

As part of his high technology curriculum at Dillard High, Wayne Lyons has constructed and written the program for three robots. Of particular interest to Lyons, a 4.8235 GPA honors student who will enter his junior season ranked No. 1 in his class, was how quickly a robot responds to its sensory system. Click on link for complete article on Miami Herald.com http://www.miamiherald.com/1199/story/1191587.html

College Football Camps....

This summer was quite busy for me. In addition to attending various camps at Under Armour, NUC, FBU, etc... I also went camping on several college campuses. I attended camps at UM, Florida and ND in the month of June. I had a great showing at all three camps. I was blessed with the opportunity to workout with the coaches of each school. Here is a brief recap of the camps:

• I attended Miami's one-day camp on Sunday, June 14, 2009. Worked out as a DB with Coach McGriff. I performed well in 1-on-1 and position drills. Made a couple of interceptions. There was great competition there so it made for a great outing. My performance earn me an verbal offer at the end of the day. Coaches were also impressed with my game film that they had viewed the day before my arrival for camp.

• Monday, June 15, 2009 I traveled to Gainesville to attend UF's one-day camp.During testing I ran my fastest 40 time of a 4.48. I worked out with Coach Heater and a few other top prospects on position drills and 1-on-1s. I performed really well and earned an verbal offer prior to heading back to Fort Lauderdale. The coaches were saying that they can't believe I have 2 more years of high school left.

• I flew out to South Bend, Indiana on Sunday June 28, 2009 to participate in their 3 day camp and unofficial visit which included a campus tour. I met several players as well. During the camp, I worked out at both DB and WR. Coach Weiss and Coach Ianello were both soliciting my services on both sides of the ball. At DB I mainly worked out with Coach Brown. I performed extremely well all three days, making big play after big play. It was awesome!!! Prior to leaving, I met with Coach Weiss in his office and he informed me that I will be receiving a written scholarship offer September 1.

Leadership Training Camp.....SFLTC

This summer I attended the South Florida Leadership Training Camp, which was mandatory for being Class President. Although I missed a week of football I must admit I really enjoyed the Leadership Training Camp. I met a lot of new friends, it was great. The camp was a week long filled with team-building and leadership skills activities. Many of the participants were really shocked to find out that I was not only class President but also ranked #1 in the class and the leading tackler on my football team. They were very encouraging and wished me luck for maintaining the #1 spot and doing well on the football field. I left the camp feeling more determined to work hard and do my best for the remainder of my high school years.

Reflections of Spring Football 2009

In reflecting on the Spring season this year, I must say that it was an enjoyable one. Under the new leadership of Coach Manny Martin, I learned a lot switching from linebacker to safety. Coach Martin's defensive scheme allows me to float back and forth between the two positions.

During the Blue-Gray intersquad game, starting at Free Safety, I finished with 2 interceptions - one for a touchdown, a fumble recovery and 7 tackles.

In the Spring Game against Miami Norland, I lead the team in tackles with 9 total, 6 solo and a blocked field goal. Although I did okay in the Spring, I still have a lot of work to do over the summer to get prepared for my Junior Year Campaign.

Wayne Lyons - Defensive MVP (10th Grade) - NUC Miami

Making the Grade: "Lyons gets an A" at FBU

Football University The Campus Buzz

Football University April 24, 2009

Lyons Gets an A at FBU For Wayne Lyons, it all adds up - and he probably can show you the math formula to prove the point. A star football player on the field, the young man who won the Maxwell Award at the recent Football University in Miami is a star off the field too. Lyons is a remarkable young man who works hard and excels at seemingly everything. And the fact that his favorite classes are robotics and calculus only underscore the fact that he is a special talent in so many ways. "I study a lot and make sure I keep a balance between studying and training while at the same time having fun in my life," Lyons said. "I'm in pursuit of becoming the valedictorian of my graduation class. Currently, I am number two with a grade point average of 4.6897. By the end of the school year, I should be in position to take over the number one spot." Being number one seems to come naturally to Lyons, a 10th grader who became the first underclassman to win the Maxwell Award at Football University this year. He's a talented player with speed to burn, and he can play multiple positions on offense or defense. Pure and simple, he's a playmaker. "Wayne is a student of the game-he is able to anticipate the moves a running back will make and will hit them with bad intentions. He is skinny right now but will add lots of good weight as he gets older," said FBU instructor John Fontes, a former coach with the Detroit Lions. "Wayne is a bright young man who wants to graduate valedictorian as much as garnering a D-1 scholarship. He can do both." Doing one is a tall order, but when was the last time you heard of a major college recruit also fighting for top academic honors? This might just well be the case for Lyons. He participated in the National Underclassmen Combine (NUC) in Miami on February 21st . He made plays there too and was selected Defensive Skills MVP. He tallied great stats, having two interceptions during one-on-one and 7-on-7 play. Oh yes, and did we mention that he is sophomore class president? "Wayne is that special player whom you admire and respect," said Bill Renner, director of football with FBU. "He is a very talented player who produces results on the field, but you get to know him and realize that he is just as special off the field. He is quite a remarkable young man." Others agreed. "Wayne has got that special ability to make plays," said former NFL defensive back Bo Orlando. "He combines a terriffic work ethic with all the right tools and a great mind. Wayne has a lot of potential on the field." When he's not on the field, in the weight room, creating robots or putting his calculator to work, Lyons can be seen running track or doing volunteer work. Then, there is recruiting, which is bound to heat up for this rising star. Already, PAC-10 powerhouse Stanford is showing interest in the Florida star. His Football University experience is going to help take him to the next level. "My experience there was a great one as I learned a lot. The main things I learned was to always show great effort and while doing all of the drills to stay low and show great explosion and to always come downhill," said Lyons about attending Football University. "I really learned a lot from Coach Levon Kirkland and Coach John Fontes and look forward to working with them again at the Top Gun Showcase." The Top Gun Football Showcase highlights the best players in the nation and is hosted by Athletic Republic at their plush facility in Paisley, Florida. To learn more about Top Gun or how to nominate yourself to attend Football University, please check out Football University's website for more details!

A Family Affair

Congratulations to my sister, Danielle for being named Miss Tea Rose 1st Runner-Up.

She also received an award for having the most community service hours, 1,318. Actually, I believe she may be up to 1,400 by now. She really enjoys volunteering her time. That volunteering spirit comes from our mother as she has always told us that "it doesn't matter how much knowledge you have, how much money you make or in my case how athletic I am, if people don't know how much you CARE!"

She constantly reminds us to give back to the community. Thats why I too am very active in the community and give of my time to mentor young boys and stress the importance of getting an education.

Off-Season Activities - Track Season

Running a season best of 15.4 in the 110M Hurdles, I qualified for the Regional Track Meet to be held in Coral Springs, Florida on Thursday, April 30, 2009. Although the main purpose of me running track was for conditioning and to improve my speed, running for the first time proved to be quite successful. I need to cut down the time to under 15 seconds to qualify for the State Track Meet. I am quite happy with my performance for the year and look forward to being even better next year. More photos coming soon...

See what Former NFL Assistant Coach John Fontes had to say about Wayne's Athletic Abilities

"Wayne is a student of the game-he is able to anticipate the moves a running back will make and will hit them with bad intentions," Fontes said. "He has room to grow and will add lots of good weight as he gets older. Wayne is a bright young man who wants to graduate valedictorian as much as garnering a D-1 scholarship. He can do both."See the entire article below:

All the News U Need to Know April 10, 2009

Lyons Roars in Miami Miami is one of the hottest spots in the country for prep football. When Football University came to town a couple weeks ago, it should be no surprise that the talent level was high. Former NFL assistant coach John Fontes, along with a staff of former NFL players and coaches, selected Wayne Lyons of Dillard High School as the Maxwell Award winner when Football University came to Braddock High School in Miami. Affectionately called the "Mini-Maxwell," the award is given to the athlete who demonstrates top technical performance during the three-day, invitation-only national camp. Wayne has been described as a versatile athlete who covers the field well. He lived up to that billing. Lyons is the first underclassmen to win the Maxwell Award at a Football University experience this year. Lyons attended the three-day training experience on Friday, March 27th thru Sunday, March 29th. Coach Fontes brings years of NFL pedigree in his assessment of Lyons. "Wayne is a student of the game-he is able to anticipate the moves a running back will make and will hit them with bad intentions," Fontes said. "He has room to grow and will add lots of good weight as he gets older. Wayne is a bright young man who wants to graduate valedictorian as much as garnering a D-1 scholarship. He can do both." Lyons hopes to be valedictorian of his class and is an outstanding student, in the classroom and of the game of football. Lyons played in the secondary this past season for Dillard but his blend of speed and explosiveness coupled with good instinct will most likely see him move to linebacker. He accumulated over 95 tackles on the year in only his sophomore season. To learn more about the Maxwell Awards, click here!

FBU Maxwell Award Interview

Being Interviewed after winning the Maxwell Award was great. At the time of the interview, It still hadn't really hit me that I had actually won. I couldn't believe that I was selected as an underclassmen. Although I had a great camp, learned a lot of different techniques and skills, I just thought that the award was going to go to an offensive player. Wow! I won the same award as the college equivalent that Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators won.How amazing!

Maxwell Award Winner @ FBU Miami 2009

It was a great honor winning the "Maxwell " Outstanding Camper Award. I'm pictured here with former NFL Pro - Bo Orlando, DB Coach and former NFL kicker - Bill Renner. I had excellent linebacker coaches in Coach Levon Kirkland and Coach John Fontes. They taught me some valuable skills and techniques I plan to carry over into the spring and fall season.

Off Season Activities

To keep myself in shape and increase my agility, I participated on the Varsity Wrestling Team this year. A new experience for me, but it was fun (extremely hard work) yet enjoyable. Actually, conditioning for wrestling is much more difficult than training for football or track. Those 6 minutes seemed like 60 minutes when you're on that mat. It felt really good getting that first pin. Looking forward to being much better next year. Track season is here, and I am running the 100M hurdles as my primary event. On occasion I run the 100M dash and the 4X100M relay. Right now I am concentrating on trying to make it past the Regional Track Meet in the hurdles. This is my first year running track and I think I am doing pretty good. My goal is to make it to the State Track Meet by the end of my Junior year.

NUC Miami 2009 Interview & Highlight

Having fun doing what I do best, playing football. Check out the interview and highlights of my performance at the National Underclassmen Combine (NUC) Miami 2009 on February 21, 2009. I was selected Defensive MVP as I posted pretty good stats and made some great plays. One-Handed Interception - Noted as the "Best Play of the Day" ******** Stats for the day :********** 40: 4.55; Shuttle: 4.23; Vertical: 31"; Broad: 9'4; Bench: 155 (17 times); I made an interception in both the 1-on-1 and the 7-on-7, as shown on the video. I had so much fun, it was great. The official stats are posted on http://nationalunderclassmen.com/nucmiami09.htm

Wayne's Sophomore Varsity Highlights 2008

Find more videos like this on National Underclassmen Combine Football Network

Season Stats: Leading Tackler on #1 Defense in the County (Broward) 6A-4A

95 Tackles: 75 solo, 20 assists; 1 recovered fumble; 2 caused fumbles; 1.5 sacks; 1 deflection

Getting to know Wayne Lyons

Hi, I'm Wayne Lyons II,

son of Gwen and Wayne Lyons, Sr. I was born on September 20, 1992. As I enter the world of Blogging, I want to start out by letting you know a little about me. I am the younger of two children. I have a sister name Danielle, that I love and cherish dearly, who will be leaving for college in June. She will be attending the University of Florida. Yes, she has joined the Gator Nation like my mom who is a Gator Alum and a devoted woman of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. My Dad is a graduate of Alabama A & M University and a devoted member of

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated.

Both of my parents are graduates of Dillard High School (DHS), along with the majority of both sides of the family. My grandmother is also a graduate of Dillard High. My grandmother has uncles that graduated from Dillard as well. So as you can see there is a strong family bond that runs deep in the Panther's Den. Actually someone in my family has attended and graduated from Dillard for seven (7) decades, starting from the 40s all the way through now. That's 70 years plus worth of Dillard Panthers in our family.

Both of my parents were stellar scholar-athletes during their time. I am a true product of my parents because, I play the same football position as my dad did (linebacker - although I may switch to safety this season) and wrestles like he did. Like my mom, I am a hurdler and a basketball player. My sister is a cheerleader like my mom was as well. Both of my parents graduated with honors from Dillard and went on to college to earn their degrees: my dad (Electrical Electronics Engineering) and my mom (Computer Information Systems). I am in the Emerging Computer Technology Magnet Program at Dillard. I am currently ranked #2 in my graduating class as I boast a 4.25 Academic Core GPA. Right now I have a 940 on the SAT that I took in October, but I will be retaking it in June to make a better score. (Got confused at the beginning and didn't start the test until 15 minutes into the test! Not sure what happened (LOL)) My goal is to graduate Valedictorian in my class of 2011, although I will be willing to pass that ranking on if I enroll in college early.

I am a member of the Student Government Association serving as Sophomore Class President. I am also a member of the National Honor Society. I serve the Lord faithfully at the New Mount Olive Baptist Church under the direction of Dr. Mack King Carter and Youth Ministry Director Reverend James "Crunch" Melton who ministers "Teen Time " Church every third Sunday. I was also selected "Mr. Sophomore" for Homecoming. All - in - All, this has been a great year.

Come back soon to hear about my high school football career.......