Ohio State football team projected to grab five-star linebacker
By Ryan Stano
![Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Steele Chambers (22) tackles Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis (8) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium. Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Steele Chambers (22) tackles Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis (8) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/151/01j22d5qp0mp70rtg2gd.jpg)
The Ohio State football program has hit a few bumps in the road on the recruiting trail in the last week or so. They missed out on a key four-star recruit and a five-star receiver. Despite missing out on these prospects, the Buckeyes still have the best recruiting class in the country.
Ohio State also has the most five-star recruits in the country for the 2025 recruiting class. They aren't done trying to grab five-star recruits either. They have their mind on a five-star offensive lineman, a couple of five-star receivers, and a five-star linebacker.
That five-star linebacker is committing on Saturday afternoon. His name is Riley Pettijohn and he's from the state of Texas. Pettijohn has offers from a lot of different schools, but it seems like it's down to Ohio State and Texas for Pettijohn. A few services think he'll choose the Ohio State football program.
Steve Wiltfong and Alex Gleitman of ON3 both have predicted that the Buckeyes will win the recruiting battle. James Laurinaitis would show himself to be an excellent recruiter if he could land Gleitman from one of the most talent-rich states in the country.
Adding Pettijohn would give the Buckeyes 23 commitments for the 2025 class with room left for some other top talent. They have been rapidly adding recruits in the last few weeks. That's not going to change anytime soon either because recruits are going to need to make decisions soon if they want a spot in the class.
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Ohio State feels confident that they can land him and develop him into an even better player than he is now. He has good size at 6'1.5 and 215 pounds, so he can stop the run and get back in pass coverage. Ohio State is hoping that he decides Columbus is the best place for him.