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Eli Lederman, ESPN staff writer
After missing out on a pair of top-100 prospects this week, Ohio State landed another high-profile defender for its top-ranked 2025 class with the commitment of four-star outside linebacker Riley Pettijohn on Saturday afternoon.
Pettyjohn, No. 48 in the ESPN 300, joins the Buckeyes as the fifth-ranked outside linebacker this cycle and chose Ohio State over eventual contenders Texas, USC and Texas A&M. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound defender makes the move as the 16th ESPN 300 commitment and eighth top-100 commitment on defense in 2025.
Pettyjohn, who announced his commitment on Instagram, is entering his senior season this fall at McKinney High School in Texas, where he also competes in track and field. He is the son of former Syracuse defensive lineman Duke Pettijohn, a two-time All-BIG EAST selection with the Orange from 1997 to 2000.
Pettijohn’s commitment comes the same week top-100 outside linebacker Justin Hill chose Alabama over Ohio State and follows No. 1 wide receiver Dacorian Moore’s commitment to Oregon in a hotly contested recruiting battle.
With a list of nearly 30 Power 4 offers, Pettijohn narrowed his recruitment to four schools this spring and took official visits to each of Ohio State, USC, Texas and Texas A&M before making his decision. Ultimately, he would land at Ohio State, swayed by a recruiting process led by Buckeyes defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and linebackers coach James Laurinaitis.
Pettijohn proved himself in his high school career as an athletic tackler capable of playing both the edge and linebacker roles. After making 42 tackles in his sophomore season in 2022, Pettijohn exploded as a junior, registering 125 total tackles with three sacks and an interception last fall. He projects strongly as a linebacker at the next level with high upside as a member of perhaps the most talented defensive class in the nation this cycle.
With Pettijohn, Ohio State’s No. 1 class is now up to 22 commitments. On defense, that group features the nation’s top duo of Naeem Offord and Devin Sanchez, No. 1 safety Fahim Delaney and a trio of top-10 defensive ends in London Merritt (No. 4 DE in 2025), Zaheer Mathis (No. 6) and Zion Grady (No. 10). No. 7 outside linebacker Tarvos Alford has been committed to the Buckeyes since March.
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