Four-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn announces USC as one of top six schools

USC is battling several Southern schools in this recruitment.

This is exciting: 2025 four-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn, from McKinney High School in Texas, has USC as a finalist in his recruitment. Pettijohn holds offers from over 25 elite programs all over the country, but he recently announced he has already narrowed his list of contenders to six programs.

Florida State, Florida State, USC, Ohio State, Texas,Texas A&M and Georgia are the schools which have made the cut.

As a junior, Pettijohn had a monster junior season in 2023, when he accumulated 120 tackles (10 TFLs), 3 sacks, 5 PBUs, and 1 interception.

On the 247Sports Composite the 6-2, 205 pounder is rated as a four-star prospect, the No. 3 linebacker, the No. 7 Lone Star State recruit, and the No. 33 national prospect in the Class of 2025.

If you have seen new USC linebacker coach Matt Entz, you should be excited about what Entz could potentially do if he ever gets a chance to coach Pettijohn. USC has player-development coaches on its roster, and that’s why adding quality defensive players is going to give USC more value than was ever the case under the previous regime led by Alex Grinch.

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