Ohio State Beats Out Texas for 5-Star LB Riley Pettijohn

The Texas Longhorns have suffered another recruiting battle loss to an elite Big Ten team.
Riley Pettijohn on his Texas visit
Riley Pettijohn on his Texas visit / Riley Pettijohn on X
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After coming up short in the sweepstakes for five-star receiver Dakorien Moore, the Texas Longhorns have missed out on another key in-state recruiting target. 

Per On3's Hayes Fawcett, five-star 2025 linebacker Riley Pettijohn has committed to Ohio State among a final group that also included Texas, USC and Texas A&M. The McKinney, Texas product had also received offers from programs like Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Florida, along with many more. 

He took his official visit to Texas on June 14.

Riley Pettijohn on his Texas visit
Riley Pettijohn on his Texas visit / Riley Pettijohn on X

The swings and misses in the 2025 cycle continue to pile up for the Longhorns as of late, but Texas’ class as a whole remains full of talent with a real chance at adding more down the line. The Longhorns’ 2025 class already features four-star talents like defensive lineman Lance Jackson, linebacker Elijah Barnes, quarterback KJ Lacey, tight end Emaree Winston and running back James Simon. 

Five-star receivers Kaliq Lockett and Jaime Ffrench along with five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi have yet to announce their commitments, meaning Texas — which is a finalist for all three — could soon be adding some of the top talent in the nation

Per 247Sports' composite rankings, Pettijohn stands as a five-star recruit while holding his spot as the No. 4 overall linebacker in the class and the No. 9 player in Texas. His father, Duke, played on the defensive line at Syracuse from 1997-2000 and was a two-time All-Big East selection before the Orange made the move to the ACC.

Over the past two years, Pettijohn posted 162 total tackles -- which included 120 last season -- to go along with 15 tackles for loss, six sacks, five pass breakups, and one interception.


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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. He then moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzki, ex Longhorns Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, FOX News and former ESPN host Will Cain, and countless other recruits, and former players for each of the teams he has covered. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com