What commitment of Riley Pettijohn means for Ohio State
COLUMBUS — Ohio State continues to find its stride on the recruiting trail in the 2025 cycle.
Four-star McKinney (Texas) linebacker Riley Pettijohn committed to the Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon in a tight race. Pettijohn committed to Ohio State over USC, Texas A&M and Texas. The 6-foot-1.5, 215-pound Texan is the No. 33 overall prospect and the No. 2 linebacker in the On3 Industry Rankings. On3 has Pettijohn as the No. 42 overall prospect and the No. 2 linebacker.
His commitment is another big one for the Buckeyes as they continue to load up on the defensive side of the ball. But what does it all mean? Lettermen Row breaks it down.
What commitment means for Ohio State
Ohio State needs and wants depth at linebacker heading into the 2025 season. And by landing Pettijohn, that’s another major addition to linebacker coach James Laurinaitis’s room. Ohio State for the longest time ran second in this race behind Texas, but things shifted once official visits were done.
Pettijohn and his family visited Ohio State for the May 31 weekend of official visits. The Buckeyes set the tone for all of the other programs Pettijohn made official visits to, the other three contenders. Ohio State has gone into Texas twice this recruiting cycle and snagged two of the best in the Lone Star State — both on the defensive side of the ball too.
The Buckeyes continue to find wiggle room in Texas. They signed linebacker Payton Pierce out of Lucas, Texas, and running back James Peoples from San Antonio in the 2024 cycle. They signed cornerback Calvin Simpson-Hunt out of Waxahachie in the 2023 cycle.
Ohio State got its foot in the door with Pettijohn, however, in January. Head coach Ryan Day and linebackers coach James Laurinaitis visited Pettijohn at school and the newest Buckeye commit had this to say about the interaction with Day.
“Coach Day — he surprised me,” Pettijohn told On3. “My first impression of him was good. I liked everything he stood for. It’s everything I stand for … I’ve never been (to Columbus), so I’m looking forward to seeing the facilities. The coaches want me to be down there around the team and see how I like the meetings and how I’d fit in their defense.”
“They’ve been on me pretty hard,” he added on the Buckeyes. “They’ve been talking to me every day.”
Ohio State never backed down even though at that point, it looked like a steep hill to climb. But it paid off as Pettijohn has committed to the Buckeyes.
What Pettijohn gives the Buckeyes on the field
Multiple sources inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center have shared with Lettermen Row that Pettijohn is a day-one difference maker for the Buckeyes.
Pettijohn totaled 125 tackles, eight tackles for loss, five pass breakups, four hurries, three sacks, one interception and one blocked field goal last fall. The strength of his game comes in his ability to play sideline-to-sideline, which is exactly what the modern linebacker needs to do. Especially in Ohio State’s 4-2-5 system.
He makes great contact and the pursuit angles in the run game are impressive for a rising senior. Something that jumped out to us is how many highlights from his junior tape are from special teams. That’s more of a mental thing than a scouting thing, especially from an Ohio State perspective. Special teams are where young players earn their time at their respective positions and putting that on tape for everyone to see is important.
His footwork is something that is going to be something to coach up. Whether it’s a systematic thing or not, there are some false steps but his speed allows him to correct himself quickly and still make the play. Repetition of those things once he gets to Ohio State will be major. ‘Trust your eyes’ as coaches like to say.
That speed is a major component of his game. Pettijohn runs the 100-meter in track and ran a 10.77 at over 200 pounds. That’s a lot of mass moving quickly. Imagine that as a running back and moving downhill. Yikes.
The combination of Pettijohn, Tarvos Alford and Eli Lee is very impressive and Ohio State is pretty well set for years to come.
How Pettijohn impacts Buckeyes class ranking
Riley Pettijohn becomes the fourth highest-rated overall prospect in the Buckeyes’ top-ranked recruiting class. He is the third highest-rated defensive prospect, only behind five-star Plus+ cornerback duo Devin Sanchez and Na’eem Offord. He is also ranked behind five-star quarterback Tavien St. Clair.
The race for the No. 1 class is tightening for the Buckeyes too. It goes Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, LSU and Georgia in the top five. The top five in the Big Ten are Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Michigan and USC.
The post What commitment of Riley Pettijohn means for Ohio State appeared first on On3.
