Riley Pettijohn Has The Skill Set To See The Field For The Buckeyes

If you are going to play linebacker for Ohio State, you can’t just be a run-stopper or a blitzer or a big safety who can cover but might need help in the running game. Today’s linebacker needs to handle all of those things and more, which is what made Riley Pettijohn such a high-valued recruiting target for OSU linebackers coach James Laurinaitis.

Laurinaitis signed Pettijohn out of McKinney, Texas as part of the Buckeyes’ 2025 recruiting class. He was one of three linebackers signed by Laurinaitis. Pettijohn posted a combined 240 tackles his final two seasons in high school and finished his career as a five-star prospect and the nation’s No. 1 linebacker per Rivals.

There is going to be a level of versatility and production that Laurinaitis is always looking for, but that’s not all.

“Well, before the guys get here, you have an idea of how they’ll be utilized,” Laurinaitis recently explained to Buckeye Huddle. “You’re looking for skill sets, you’re looking for, obviously, the personalities. Do they fit the room of guys that we have now? Do they fit the culture that we have?”

And so where does Riley Pettijohn fit into that equation?

“I think with Riley, when you think about his athletic ability, his speed, that kind of pops off the film,” he said. “The kind of young man that he is. I mean, he works his tail off, you can probably see it on social media, all the time that he’s working hard in the gym. Really a great family, and I’m excited that he’s a Buckeye and we were able to get him. I’m excited to see kind of where he fits. I think there’s scheme versatility there.”

That scheme versatility will come in handy now that Ohio State’s next defensive scheme is in the air a little bit. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left for Penn State after the 2024 season, and OSU head coach Ryan Day replaced him with Matt Patricia.

Sweeping changes aren’t expected, but the need for versatility will always be there. The more a player can do, they more playing time they’ll see.

“I mean, we blitz our guys all over the place,” Laurinaitis said. “Sometimes they have to come off the edge, sometimes they’re in the middle. There’s really a lot of versatility you need to play linebacker in this system. So we’re kind of looking for a well-rounded athlete. Can they see the game from the second level?”

It is the vision from the second level that Laurinaitis is trying to find. The ability to see a play developing and know where it’s going. That’s what he saw in Riley Pettijohn.

The ability to read a play and find the football is the nature of the position. It’s much more important than just being able to blitz. If Pettijohn can show that this year as a true freshman, then there will be a role for him on the 2025 Ohio State football team.

“I think that’s the biggest thing,” Laurinaitis said. “Sometimes you have guys who are strictly edge guys who can’t see the game. It’s a lot to process. And so in a snap decision, you have to be able to figure out where’s the ball going, is it run, pass, all those things. And so I think you’re looking at instincts first, and then you’re looking at, ‘Hey, what’s their character? What’s their makeup? Will they fit with the room?’ And then you look at where’s the raw skill set? And so I think with the three guys that we got in this class, there’s a good mixture of all that.”