Breaking: The Texas Longhorns have suffered another recruiting battle loss to an elite Big Ten team.
An outstanding Big Ten squad has defeated the Texas Longhorns in yet another recruiting contest.
The Texas Longhorns lost out on another important in-state recruitment target after losing out on five-star receiver Dakorien Moore in the sweepstakes.
Five-star 2025 linebacker Riley Pettijohn has committed to Ohio State, joining a select group that also included Texas, USC, and Texas A&M, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett. In addition to numerous other schools, the McKinney, Texas native has received offers from Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Florida.
The Longhorns’ swings and misses in the 2025 cycle have been mounting lately, but Texas’ class as a whole is still loaded with talent and has a good chance of adding more in the future. Running back James Simon, tight end Emaree Winston, quarterback KJ Lacey, defensive lineman Lance Jackson, and linebacker Elijah Barnes are just a few of the four-star players in the Longhorns’ 2025 class.
Five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi and receivers Kaliq Lockett and Jaime Ffrench have not yet announced their pledges, but Texas, a finalist for all three, may soon be adding some of the best players in the country.
Pettijohn, the No. 4 overall linebacker in the class and the No. 9 player in Texas, is a five-star recruit according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. Before the Orange moved to the ACC, his father, Duke, was a two-time All-Big East selection while playing defensive line for Syracuse from 1997 to 2000.
Pettijohn recorded 162 total tackles over the previous two seasons, including 120 last season. He also recorded 15 tackles for loss, six sacks, five pass breakups, and one interception.
