Riley Pettijohn Provides More Confirmation of USC’s Biggest Need with Recruiting
Elite four-star McKinney (TX) linebacker Riley Pettijohn announced his commitment to Ohio State earlier today. Although Pettijohn listed his top schools as Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State and USC, it really came down the Buckeyes vs the Trojans.
Pettijohn is the No. 33 overall ranked prospect and No. 2 linebacker in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. So, an opportunity to add a player of his caliber was a significant for all four of Pettijohn’s top schools.
Ohio State currently has the No. ranked recruiting class per the On3 Industry Rankings, Texas A&M is ranked No. 8, Texas No. 17 and USC No. 18. The Buckeyes have missed on a couple of huge targets recently, so adding Pettijohn was enormous.
Close, but no cigar at USC
USC has seemingly been in the thick of the race for several On300 targets this recruiting cycle. They were recently among the final top schools for Marco Jones (Texas A&M), Trajen Odom (Ohio State), Justin Hill (Alabama), Dorian Brew, Trey McNutt, Noah Mikhail, CJ Wiley and of course Pettijohn.
To be fair, USC has landed commitments from some big-time players from coast to coast, but closing on someone like Pettijohn would’ve made a statement. Landing a Top 50 prospect from McKinney (TX), would’ve been a massive jolt to the program from a recruiting momentum perspective.
Lincoln Riley and the Trojans suffered big losses the last few weeks with decommitments from five-stars Justus Terry and Isaiah Gibson, then another in Drake Stubbs this week. USC fell from the No. 3 ranked 2025 recruiting class to No. 18 in a three-week stretch.
The Trojans have been close, but what will it take to get a guy like Pettijohn? The 6-3, 200 pound All-American shared his thoughts.
“I feel like they’re going in a really good direction right now, but I guess just win some games,” said Pettijohn. “Their defense wasn’t very good last year, but I really do have faith in them this year.”
A father’s perspective
After the announcement ceremony, I stuck around the Sports Bar browsing social media, answering questions on the WeAreSC message board and watching a little baseball. About 30 minutes or so after Pettijohn committed to Ohio St., his father Duke Pettijohn and mother Juliet Pettijohn approached me.
They felt so strongly about the USC coaching staff across the board, they wanted to convey that message somehow. We were more than happy to oblige.
“I didn’t think this decision was going to be hard for me, but it became that in the last two hours because of how highly I thought of the USC coaching staff,” Duke Pettijohn said. “Coach Riley, Coach Lynn and Coach Entz. They could write a how to book on recruiting. Their approach and their attention to detail with how they envisioned using Riley and how they plan to develop him. It was a hard, hard decision.
“Riley and I think the same and we saw the same things, but it became a heart thing, a feel thing with him. That’s what separated Ohio State. But they’re both outstanding programs and USC did an outstanding job.”
More Pettijohn perspective
Riley Pettijohn’s mother Juliet Pettijohn was also highly complimentary of USC, the coaching staff and the direction the football program’s headed.
“I know their defense is going to change and they’re going to win,” said Juliet Pettijohn. “I’m excited for Coach Riley, Coach (D’Anton) Lynn and Coach (Matt) Entz. What more could you want than those guys?”
Keep in mind, Duke played football at Syracuse and the Pettijohn’s have visited every top program in the nation. They have a pretty darn solid sample size to choose from when comparing football programs. They also know what it takes to compete for a highly-coveted recruit, because their son is that guy.
“I just feel like they have the right leadership in place,” Duke Pettijohn said. “What we saw last year from a defensive perspective is going to be so drastically different this year. They’re going to win and when they do, they’re going to get the guys like Riley.
“USC’s battling with these elite programs. USC has shown they can win and win big, but you’re battling programs that have just been knocking at the door of national championships. That’s the one thing they’re missing at USC. But they might be knocking now too.”
D’Anton Lynn
With Duke Pettijohn playing ball at Syracuse and then professionally until 2013, he’s been around a few coaches in his days. So, we take opinions of players pretty seriously when talking about football related topics, especially a topic they have no bias for…like USC football.
“I would work for Coach Lynn,” Duke Pettijohn said “He is a savant with how he teaches, with what his teaching approach is. It actually should be a test template for all football coaches with what it encompasses.”
What a difference a year makes
The last two seasons were an interesting roller coaster ride for USC fans. Riley and company greatly exceeded expectations in 2022 and grossly feel short last season. USC nearly made the four-team playoff in 2022 and finished 8-5 last season.
With the impressive coaching additions in D’Anton Lynn, Eric Henderson, Matt Entz and Doug Belk, USC is ready to show recruits they can play defense. The Pettijohn’s spent time around the USC football program and attended practices this year and last year, so they’ve seen first hand the difference a year’s made.
“I saw practice and I was in the film room,” said Pettijohn. “Lynn is super detailed and the kids are way more engaged, way more. They’re ready, they’re ready to win. They’re ready for the change. We got to even just sit with the linebackers, just us, which is something we didn’t get to experience anywhere else.
“For someone like Riley, who only wants to talk football on an official visit, it made a huge difference. They don’t need anything else at USC than they have now. They need a season with a new defense. That’s all they need.”
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