West Orange's Ramon Lyons excited to be a scholar-athlete at Georgetown

WINTER GARDEN — Standing outside of the football stadium on the campus of West Orange High School, clad in a Georgetown cap and T-shirt, Hoya-to-be Ramon Lyons acknowledges that a couple of months ago, the school wasn’t even on his radar.

The senior defensive back for the Warriors had been getting interest from schools like West Florida, Florida Tech and Colgate.

So, he admits to being a little surprised when a recruiting coordinator from the school — a school typically associated with its storied basketball program — came to campus one day to see him.

“All I knew (about Georgetown) was Allen Iverson and Patrick Ewing,” Lyons said, referencing two NBA stars who had played collegiately for the Hoyas. “Georgetown was not even in my thought process — it just came out of nowhere.”

Much the same as the program, located in Washington, D.C., was not on his radar, Lyons was not on Georgetown’s radar, until another teammate from West Orange sent a highlight reel to the Hoyas. It was through that tape that the recruiting staff noticed Lyons — a chance happening that may turn out to be a perfect fit, as Lyons signed his National Letter of Intent with the Division I FCS program on Wednesday for National Signing Day.

Lyons came to West Orange after playing for Ocoee for his first three years of high school, when his family moved during the offseason. Coming over to play for the Warriors, it would be easy to assume that the program’s large stadium, rabid fan base, turf field or stylish uniforms might have been what Lyons liked most about the transfer. But the talented defensive back prides himself on being a scholar-athlete in the truest sense of the word, and said his favorite part about the move was that he felt more challenged in the classroom.

“I liked the education,” Lyons said. “I liked my chemistry class, and I liked my calculus class. … Those two have really challenged me the most and brought out my potential.”

It’s no wonder then, that when a prestigious academic institution such as Georgetown came knocking with a football scholarship, Lyons’ interest was piqued. Throw in a visit in early January to the campus and the Knight-turned-Warrior was sold.

“I’m from the city, so I like to be around the city,” Lyons said. “I’m a businessman at heart, so I can see myself doing internships there.”

Lyons had 94 tackles for the Warriors during the team’s 11-1 season this past fall to pair with four interceptions and four fumble recoveries, and he also broke up 10 passes. He said he enjoys the cerebral elements of playing in the secondary — making reads and studying film — and in a lot of ways that approach is what enabled him to make an immediate impact with West Orange in just one season within the program.

“(He’s) very smart — he knew everything, inside and out,” Warriors coach Bob Head said. “He was like a coach on the field. For him to pick up our defense the way he did, you’ve got to be really smart. 

“He had a lot of great instincts, and I think that was from film study.”

Lyons says his parents, Bobby and Resheda Lyons, were incredibly supportive throughout his playing career and throughout the recruiting process. The ultimate decision, though, was his.

“(My parents) let me make the decision, myself, and I’m really appreciative of that,” Lyons said.

Given the depth chart at defensive back, , Lyons may have a chance to play as a freshman. More importantly, though, he intends to get a quality education and study business entrepreneurship — making for a bright future for this West Orange alum-to-be.

“He’s going to be so successful when he comes out of there,” Head said with pride. “He’s going to do amazing things and get a good job; he’s going to be an amazing asset to the community.”

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].