The rumors have been swirling about where 5-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn would commit. The USC Trojans were a long shot in the process, but they started to really pick up steam towards the finish line thanks to Coach Entz. Unfortunately for Trojans nation, Pettijohn made it official today that he is committing to Ohio State.
The Texas product had been trending to the University of Texas for almost the entirety of his recruitment. Ohio State was the other big player, and they made a late push. As of Friday evening, the On3 prediction machine put Texas at 60.9%, Ohio State at 34.6%, and USC at only 1.5%.
Earlier in the week, Pettijohn’s mom, Juliet Pettijohn, seemingly tipped her son’s hand on where he would commit. She also could have just been complimenting USC LB Coach Entz, and no decision had been made, which now seems to be the case.
Related: USC Trojans Secure Commitment From Offensive Weapon
This is another tough miss on the defensive side of the ball for the USC Trojans. They will still have to opportunity to pursue and flip Pettijohn all the way until signing day, so at this point, the most important thing that USC can do is win in the fall and prove that the defense has taken a massive step forward.
The Future Of The USC Trojans Linebacker Room
Pettijohn would have joined a recruiting class that currently has one other linebacker in the class, 4-star local prospect Matai Tagoa’i. When the 2025 season rolls around, Tagoa’i will join a very young room (transfer portal players pending), with the most likely departures of four veterans, Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Eric Gentry, Mason Cobb, and Raesjon Davis.
With only one LB currently in the 2025 class, USC will need to need to get another talented player committed or work to flip Riley Pettijohn. This has happened to USC with players like Isaiah Gibson, so will they now be the program to do this?