Top-100 Texas LB Riley Pettijohn high on Brian Odom and USC
One of several prospects I saw this week was class of 2025 McKinney (Tex.) top-100 linebacker Riley Pettijohn.
Pettijohn is the No. 68 overall prospect and No. 8 linebacker in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also ranked as the No. 10 player in Texas.
It was just over one month ago that Pettijohn was in Los Angeles for an unofficial visit. Pettijohn took his visit to USC with McKinney teammate and USC commit, 2024 running back Bryan Jackson. Being with Jackson was a beneficial aspect of his visit, but the Trojans impressed on their own as well.
Pettijohn’s relationship with Brian Odom is strong
“Brian’s been working and trying to get me out there for this next visit,” Pettijohn said.
To this point, Odom is seemingly the strongest connection for the four-star backer. And Odom is paying quite a bit attention to him.
“He was actually here [in McKinney] last week. He was there last week at our scrimmage.”
I asked Pettijohn if Odom coming out from California is something that stands out to him.
“I mean, it does stand out. It just shows that he really wants to come see me and put in that effort. And when we talk, he tells me he looks for athletic linebackers that can run and fill gaps. And his scheme is just really good, he’s really good coach.”
USC will get a return visit from Pettijohn this summer. And they might be part of just a small list he focuses on.
“I don’t plan on taking a whole bunch of visits, but I do plan on getting out [to USC].”
Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM)
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound back holds 15 total offers. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, hometown SMU currently holds the lead at 32.5%, but USC is creeping up the list at 28.4%.
SMU and USC are currently the only schools Pettijohn has visited to this time.
On3 NIL Valuations
Pettijohn has an On3 NIL Valuation of $62K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.
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