Where does USC go after losing out on the Riley Pettijohn recruiting battle

The 2023 Michigan Wolverines exemplify the smash-mouth football typical of good Big Ten teams. The reigning national champions fielded college football's best defense, including several NFL-caliber defensive linemen and linebackers. USC recognizes the need for a defense that can impose its will on opponents; thus, Lincoln Riley has devoted much time to recruiting elite defensive linemen and linebackers in the 2025 class.

Unfortunately, the Trojans missed out on another significant defensive target after linebacker Riley Pettijohn committed to Ohio State on Saturday.

Pettijohn is a four-star prospect and the nation's No. 2 ranked linebacker. The McKinney (TX) native completed three unofficial visits to Southern California and an official visit on June 6. On3's Recruiting Prediction Machine lists the Texas Longhorns as the ultimate favorite (60.8%) to sign Pettijohn. Either way, it seems USC is on the outside looking in.

Losing out on Pettijohn is another blow to USC and the quest to build a defense that can rival Riley's offense in production. The Trojans gained some recruiting momentum in recent weeks and gained the pledges of EDGE Hayden Lowe, offensive tackle Elijah Vaikona, and receiver Corey Simms. However, USC's 2025 class in well outside the top ten and only features two bluechip prospects who play defensive line or linebacker.

Historically, the Big Ten Conference is an NFL linebacker factory. LaVar Arrington, James Laurinaitis, AJ Hawk, and Andy Katzenmoyer are some of the names who come to mind. As such, Riley needs to recruit and develop elite linebackers to stand a chance at competing for a Big Ten title.

Riley's biggest recruting priorites are holding onto JuJu Lewis's commitment and gaining Elijah Griffin's. Neither play linebacker, but they're the pair of elite five star player USC needs atop its 2025 class. Indeed, elite recruits tend to influence other elite recruits to join them.

Regarding linebackers, Riley must make a run at Jonah Williams. Williams is a five-star defender from Ball (TX) who USC offered early in the recruiting cycle. His current position is safety, but many scouts expect the 6-3, 206-pounder to move to linebacker once in college.

The Trojans must also get to work on flipping Noah Mikhail, the nation's No. 7 linebacker. Mikhail is a four-star prospect from Bonita (CA) who committed to the Aggies on June 30.

One bright spot for USC recruiting is Matai Tagoa'i, a four-star player from San Clemente (CA). The nation's No. 9 linebacker committed to Troy in April and completed an official visit on June 26. Tagoa'i has the potential to be a signficant starter for USC's defense in the coming seasons.