Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series of features highlighting the six early enrollees in Wisconsin’s 2022 recruiting class. QB Myles Burkett, ILB Aidan Vaughan, NG Curtis Neal, CB Avyonne Jones and OL Barrett Nelson were featured previously.
MADISON, Wis. — A’Khoury Lyde stood in his green-and-white DePaul Catholic uniform in the late-November chill on the MetLife Stadium sideline as his team battled Red Bank Catholic during a New Jersey state championship game. Lyde had envisioned this scenario for so long, the final game of his senior season with an opportunity to end a decorated career on top.
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But as the moment came and went, and Red Bank grinded out a 13-8 victory, Lyde never left the sideline. Twelve weeks earlier, Lyde had suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee when he planted the wrong way just before halftime of the first game during his senior season. He was suited up for the state championship just in case DePaul Catholic had the opportunity to take a knee at the end of the game so he could ceremonially trot onto the field for a play.
“It was very difficult,” Lyde said. “I feel as though we had one of the best defenses in the state of New Jersey. Seeing the guys out there playing and me not being able to play with them my senior season, it really hurt me.”
Lyde, a 5-foot-9 and 179-pound cornerback early enrollee in Wisconsin’s 2022 class, could have spent his final high school months sulking about what he was missing. Instead, those close to him say he rose to the challenge. He didn’t miss a practice and essentially became a second defensive backs coach for a young group of corners, helping the team finish 10-3.
“He just stood by the team so well throughout that whole process,” DePaul Catholic football coach Nick Campanile said. “I know it wasn’t easy for him, but it says a lot about his character.”
That’s the type of leadership Lyde intends on bringing to Wisconsin cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat’s room but only part of the package that intrigued Poteat so much about Lyde’s potential. When Lyde is healthy, Poteat expects him to provide toughness, versatility and athleticism.
Poteat, a Pennsylvania native with East Coast recruiting connections, first began pursuing Lyde as a prospect when he heard good things about him while the cornerbacks coach at Toledo. Poteat continued to recruit him when he joined Wisconsin’s staff in February 2021 and earned a commitment from Lyde in June soon after an official visit. Both Poteat and Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard starred in college as defensive backs and punt returners — two areas Lyde shined in as well — which created another reason Poteat liked him so much.
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“I liked his demeanor, liked his mentality,” Poteat said. “When I watch his tape, I love watching corners that play multiple positions. He can play on the offensive side of the ball. He also returned kicks. That skill set transitions and he applies it when he plays defense. He has the ability to change the game. Good ball skills, good run after the catch. I really like that in that position as a corner or nickel that he can have that type of skill set.”
Lyde finished his sophomore season with 60 tackles, seven pass breakups and four interceptions to earn all-conference honors. That season, he intercepted a pass during a state championship victory against Mater Dei at Rutgers’ SHI Stadium.
He became a first-team all-state selection as a junior when he registered 35 tackles, 10 pass breakups and five interceptions (two for touchdowns in the same game against Seton Hall Prep) while also accounting for 413 receiving yards and six offensive touchdowns. Lyde was in line for what should have been a sensational senior campaign and the chance to lead DePaul Catholic to a second state title in three years. Lyde picked off a pass in the season opener against Cardinal Hayes before he suffered his injury.
“At first, it was very hard,” said A’Khoury’s mom, Michelle. “He was looking forward to playing his senior year. So it was a disappointment. But what impressed me the most with A’Khoury is how he turned everything around. What he did is he faced the issue and he did not let that issue bring him down. He continued to go to every practice. He was almost like another coach on the team who was coaching the corners on the sidelines and he attended all of the games. It didn’t feel like he wasn’t a part of the team anymore because he was always around.”
Campanile said Lyde was a dominant corner who shut down parts of the field as a junior and was the best player on the field in every game he played. He noted DePaul Catholic does not use many guys as two-way players, so the fact Lyde impacted the game so much in all three phases spoke to his unique talent.
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“His best asset is as a lockdown man-to-man cover guy,” Campanile said. “But that being said, he’s also very physical and he doesn’t shy away from contact, so he’s a great tackler as well. Speaking with Coach Poteat, they see him coming in as a nickel corner and then maybe eventually moving out wide as he gets bigger. I think that’s the perfect spot for him. He’s so quick-twitch. He’s just a great man-to-man guy.”
Lyde earned 20 scholarship offers, including from Big Ten programs Wisconsin, Indiana, Maryland and Michigan State. He took official visits to Wisconsin, Pittsburgh and Duke. But the Badgers had been his top choice since Poteat extended him a scholarship offer last February, less than two weeks after Poteat arrived at Wisconsin. Lyde said the relationship he began developing with Poteat when he was at Toledo played a big part in his commitment decision. Campanile said Lyde was “as excited as I’ve ever seen him” after he earned his offer from Wisconsin. Lyde’s first opportunity to see the campus in June after the NCAA dead period lifted sealed his choice.
“The coaches were very personable,” Michelle said. “They made me feel at home. Very friendly. Wisconsin itself felt welcoming. Jersey is fast-paced. So when I came to Madison, it was calm and quiet. I just felt like it would be a good place for A’Khoury to be.”
Lyde has an opportunity to rehab with Wisconsin’s medical personnel for an extra six months because he is already on campus. But his decision to enroll early came about before the injury. Lyde’s dad, Ray, said he encouraged A’Khoury to consider the move when they took official visits because he was an excellent high school student who had made the honor roll, would be able to complete his credits and could get a jump start on his college courses and acclimate to the football program.
Ray said he saw a couple of A’Khoury’s teammates successfully make the early transition to college back when A’Khoury was a freshman. In order for A’Khoury to pull it off, Michelle said A’Khoury not only stayed up late to complete assignments but remained at school after classes with his counselor to ensure that he finished his online calculus course so he could graduate early.
Lyde is part of the next wave of cornerbacks in Wisconsin’s program following the departures of multi-year starters Caesar Williams and Faion Hicks and the move of top slot corner Dean Engram to wide receiver. Poteat brought in three transfer corners in Justin Clark (Toledo), Jay Shaw (UCLA) and Cedrick Dort (Kentucky), each of whom has one year of eligibility remaining. Wisconsin’s returning corners include Alexander Smith, Semar Melvin, Max Lofy, Ricardo Hallman and Al Ashford III. The other cornerback in Wisconsin’s 2022 class, Avyonne Jones, also enrolled early.
Lyde said his goal is to be at full strength by the time preseason practices begin in August. However, he’ll be 11 months removed from the ACL injury at that time and said his main focus is to continue his recovery until he is the impact player that he knows he can be.
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“Wisconsin is very aggressive on the defensive side,” Lyde said. “They play a lot of match man. That’s the same thing we played in high school. I’m an aggressive corner, I like to tackle and I have great ball skills. So I feel as though I can bring my talent over there and compete at that high level.”
(Top photo courtesy of the Lyde family)
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