Germany: New Yorker Lions sign former Jackson State & Deion Sanders QB Karé Lyles

| American Football | 02/21/2023

The Braunschweig New Yorker Lions of the German Football League have signed former Jackson State Tigers quarterback Karé Lyles. Lyles moves from playing under Deion Sanders to the German football scene, playing under long-time Lions head coach Troy Tomlin.

Lyles, 24, most recently played for Deion Sanders or ‘Coach Prime’ at Jackson State University (NCAA DI FCS) where he served as a backup for Sanders’s son and the starting quarterback Sheduer Sanders. The 6’0 210-pound passer appeared in four games rushing for 34 yards during the Tigers 2021 Celebration Bowl runner-up season.

Prior to Jackson State, the Arizona native played two seasons at Southern Illinois University (NCAA DI FCS) where he became a starter after the third game of the season in 2019, finishing the season with 1,569 yards, 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions. In 2020, Lyles only played in three games during a pandemic-shortened season.

In his high school days, Lyles was a three star prospect and the 43rd ranked quarterback in the nation. He ended up signing with the Big Ten’s Wisconsin Badgers where he played one season.  After that season in 2017, Lyles transferred to a local junior college.

During his lone season at Scottsdale Community College, he threw for 2,291 yards, 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He once recorded six TD passes versus Snow College and five apiece against Phoenix College and Mesa Community College earning First-Team All-Region and All-Western States Football League.

In 2022, Lyles played for the for the Las Vegas Knight Hawks of the Indoor Football League, throwing for three touchdowns and 114 yards in five appearances. He then landed a job working for the NFL as a production assistant.

Lyles will look to get the Lions back in contention after an uncharacteristic 2022 season that saw an early playoff exit for the team. He is one of several new faces in Braunschweig as European talents Marcel Behm, Robert Gainall, and Samuel Owusu hope to make an impact, along with fellow American imports DB Matt Soldner (Adams State NCAA D2) and WR Luc Meacham (Mount Union NCAA D3)

Alex is a former NCAA and semi-pro American football player who is now located in London, where he works in digital marketing. His goal in writing for AFI is to stay involved with the game that has given him so much. Alex enjoys covering leagues and