The Ohio State Buckeyes head coach and Texas A&M Aggies are among the nation’s top recruiting classes for 2025, which the USC Trojans have already put together. These days, those three universities are in the running to be among the nation’s top defensive prospects.
In terms of recruiting, Lincoln Riley is off to a far better start than he was a year ago, thanks to the assistance of a completely reorganized Trojans coaching staff. Five of USC’s six top recruits are guaranteed spots to play defense at the next level, demonstrating their specific focus at the defensive end of the game.
Still, the bulk of the Trojans recruits in 2025 are either secondary or defensive players. Riley and Trojans defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn have set themselves up to perhaps land one of the finest off-ball linebackers in the nation, since athletic off-ball linebackers are still essential for long-term success at the collegiate level.
Riley Pettijohn, a linebacker at McKinney High School (TX), has selected USC, Texas A&M, Ohio State, and the Texas Longhorns as his final four teams, as first reported by Hayes Fawcett of On3.
Riley Pettijohn, a former All-American defensive lineman’s son, started out as a safety in high school football (On3.com). But prior to the 2022 season, he switched to linebacker, which attracted college scouts right away and resulted in him receiving over 30 scholarship offers.
Since transferring to inside linebacker in his junior year, Pettijohn, an athletic defender who can play on all three downs, has been the focal point of McKinney’s defense. Pettijohn, who is about 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, should be able to play closer to 230 pounds at the collegiate level thanks to his build.
Pettijohn is a very speedy linebacker who is adept at shooting gaps and triggering on the run. He is also a very good open-field tackler.
He fits the run effectively and adopts good pursuit angles. Pettijohn, who played safety in the past, is also competent in coverage.Being the son of a former two-time All-Big East defensive lineman, he has a good pedigree and testing results suggest a high ceiling for improvement.
Pettijohn is a unanimous top-60 prospect in the 2025 recruiting class and is seen as one of the greatest players in the country at his position. He is ranked as the second-best linebacker in the country and the 42nd-best player overall by On3 Sports, which gives him a 94 overall grade.
Both 247 Sports’ crystal ball forecasts and On3’s recruiting precision machine expect Pettijohn to commit to Texas, even if USC is in the final four.
