Riley Pettijohn, a five-star linebacker from Texas, chose Ohio State over USC, Texas, and Texas A&M on Saturday, handing the Buckeyes a huge victory in the recruiting process.
On May 31, Pettijohn made his official visit to Ohio State, where he was given a comprehensive developmental plan by Jim Knowles, Laurinaitis, and the other Buckeye coaches. In the last few weeks of Pettijohn’s recruitment, Ohio State had to withstand a fierce chase from Texas A&M and USC. However, Laurinaitis has an impressive class in his first recruiting cycle as a full-time assistant coach now that Pettijohn is part of the team.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Pettijohn is the third and last linebacker commit for Ohio State’s 2025 class. Alongside Tarvos Alford and Eli Lee, he will wear the scarlet and gray as the linebacker pledge for the Buckeyes for this cycle.
In September 2023, Pettijohn accepted his offer from Ohio State and made multiple school visits. around his recruiting, he received around thirty Division I offers. Pettijohn follows five-star cornerback Devin Sanchez as the second recruit from Texas to verbally commit to the Buckeyes in the 2025 cycle.
Pettijohn is ranked No. 4 among linebackers in the 2025 class and No. 31 overall according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. Since C.J. Hicks in the 2022 cycle, who concluded with a composite ranking of No. 7 overall and the No. 1 linebacker, he is the highest-rated linebacker recruit Ohio State has acquired.
For McKinney High School (McKinney, Texas), Pettijohn had an incredible junior season, racking up 120 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks, five pass breakups, and one interception. He recorded 42 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, and five quarterback hurries in his sophomore season.
Pettijohn possesses an impressive talent set that could make him the next great Ohio State linebacker. These include elite instincts, closing speed, and athleticism. He’s demonstrated a remarkable ability to consistently get past blocks and into the backfield of opponents.
Pettijohn played both middle and outside linebacker at McKinney High School and has the range to be effective in both positions. Pettijohn lined up against opposing tight ends and running backs and dropped into a zone with ease while playing coverage. In his freshman year on university, he was a valuable member of the kickoff squad and saw action on special teams.
Pettijohn is a talented track and field competitor who participates in the 100-meter sprint and long jump. Given Ohio State’s current linebacker situation, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him compete to crack the two-deep in his first year in Columbus given his advanced profile, but he might have to wait until at least his sophomore year to see meaningful snaps on a regular basis.
Riley’s father, Duke Pettijohn, played defensive end for Syracuse from 1997 to 2000 and was selected twice for the Big East All-Star team during his college career.
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