The Alabama Crimson Tide suffered a rather embarrassing loss to the Michigan Wolverines in their bowl game last week, falling to a team with just a 7-5 record that was missing the majority of its best players.
Now, in addition to the embarrassing loss on the field, it sounds like Alabama is losing an important player to the transfer portal, too.
According to a report from Max Olson of ESPN, Alabama Crimson Tide offensive tackle Elijah Pritchett has decided to enter the transfer portal.
“Alabama OT Elijah Pritchett has officially entered the transfer portal, ESPN has learned,” Olson said in a post on X, the social media website that was formerly known as Twitter.
“The 6-6, 327-pound right tackle started 12 games for the Tide this season. Former top-100 recruit with two more seasons of eligibility,” Olson continued.
Pritchett initially signed with the Crimson Tide in 2022, when Nick Saban was still the head coach of the team.
Out of high school, Pritchett was ranked as the No. 5 offensive tackle and the No. 37 overall player in the 2022 recruiting class according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.
It’s not clear where Pritchett could sign after parting ways with the Crimson Tide. Before signing with Alabama in 2022, he was also considering Florida State, Georgia and USC and took visits to each of those schools.
Wherever he lands, Pritchett will likely be one of the most highly recruited offensive linemen in the transfer portal this offseason.
Needless to say, this is a pretty significant loss for Alabama. We’ll have to see how they recover.
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