Texas Football Leaves Great Impression on Highly Coveted 2025 Linebacker

Riley Pettijohn's recruitment is still open, but Texas made a strong case for his allegiances over the weekend

Texas Longhorns linebacker Jaylan Ford (41) celebrates a defensive stop during the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff semifinals game against the Washington Huskies at the Caesars Superdome on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

In a weekend filled with festivities on the recruiting trail, Texas is not only shoring up its skill positions of the future, it plans to make one of the best defenses in the SEC.

While the name and flashiness of five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore dominated the media coverage of Texas’ June 14 visit weekend, new linebackers coach Johnny Nansen and the rest of the Texas staff have been working diligently to bring in top defensive players in the state. One of those names seems to like what he sees and is believed to be nearing closer and closer to commitment.

“They did a good job of highlighting all the resources Texas has that make them an elite program,” said Duke Pettijohn, former Syracuse All-American defensive lineman and father of top sixty recruit Riley. “They also made it abundantly clear how much they value Riley and his unique skill set.”

Riley Pettijohn is a 6’1.5, 215-pound linebacker out of McKinney Texas who has garnered an immense list of offers since making the switch from safety to linebacker. Per the On3 Industry Ranking, Pettijohn currently sits as the No. 33 player in the nation, the No. 2 linebacker and the No. 9 player in Texas.

“We were all impressed with the game day-like energy and excitement there was for a spring game,” his father said about a past visit. “The biggest takeaway we had was the amount of talent at every position and the recruits that were in attendance gave a glimpse to what they have in their pipeline.”

On3 currently gives a 93% chance for Pettijohn to choose Texas over the likes of USC and rivals Texas A&M. Both Hank South and Jordan Scruggs, two recruiting analysts who have yet to get a crystal ball wrong in the 2025 cycle, expect Pettijohn to commit to play in Austin as well.

Nansen is a name that keeps being highlighted in the process. The former defensive coordinator for Arizona took the inferior position at Texas, now only controlling the linebacker room, but is making good use out of it already.

Nansen is already credited with the commitment of Elijah Barnes, 247Sports 100th best player in the class of 2025, a fellow top 20 player in Texas. With praise from Duke Pettijohn, who knows plenty about what it takes to be good at the college level, Nansen could be on his way to one of the best linebacker recruiting classes in the nation.