Predicting Texas's next commit after OL Jackson Christian
Riley Pettijohn, LB
In-state linebacker recruiting for the Longhorns in the 2025 class has boiled down to two highly touted blue-chip prospects. High-four-star McKinney (TX) linebacker Riley Pettijohn and Dallas (TX) Skyline four-star Elijah "Bo" Barnes have been the top two priority targets at the position for Johnny Nansen and Pete Kwiatkowski over the last year.
Barnes committed to the Longhorns on April 12 over the TCU Horned Frogs, SMU Mustangs, Texas A&M, and LSU. It sounds like Barnes also pushed for Pettijohn to commit on the spot when he announced his pledge to Texas roughly one month ago.
While Pettijohn didn't commit on the same day as Barnes in mid-April, Texas still appeals greatly to the No. 4 linebacker recruit in the nation in the 2025 class in the 247Sports Composite. Horns247 reported on May 13 (paid content) that Texas continues to be the "attractive pick" among Pettijohn's top group of schools entering summer official visits.
Pettijohn will officially visit Texas in mid-June during one of those two big visit weekends for the Longhorns next month. He is also scheduled to officially visit the Ohio State Buckeyes (May 31), USC Trojans (June 7), and Texas A&M (June 21).
The four schools Pettijohn is scheduled to officially visit this summer are at the top of his list heading into the critical stages of his recruitment. While I think Ohio State and USC are still in heavy consideration for Pettijohn, Texas has been the pace-setter in this recruitment for the last few months.
If Texas knocks it out of the park during Pettijohn's official visit to Austin next month, I like the Longhorns chances of landing his commitment before the start of his senior season at McKinney.