No. 1 OT Pritchett Prepared to Announce Verbal Commitment
Elijah Pritchett knows his pick.
The Columbus (Ga.) Carver star offensive tackle prospect, ranked No. 1 at the position by SI All-American, is ready to go public with his collage choice on Tuesday afternoon. The decision is scheduled to be aired on CBS Sports HQ, he says.
The towering 6'6", 280-pound prospect has long been down to four programs: Alabama, Florida State, Georgia and USC. He has made visits to each, including an official visit to Athens, Ga. two weekends ago, and is at peace with the recruiting process effectively closing.
Georgia, which hosted him for a visit the weekend of the win over South Carolina, wound up with the last visit before the decision. Pritchett was scheduled to be back at Southern Cal over the weekend but did not make the trip.
"I was supposed to go to USC this weekend, but things changed because I got sick," he said. "Not COVID, but I had a cold."
On the eve of a public pledge, he admitted consideration for all four programs before trimming to a final two in the latest analysis.
"It was really tough," he said. "I had to think about where I wanted to be for the next three to four years, to put myself in the best position."
If the last visit is any indication, the in-state program won't be easy to overtake for the other three programs, despite recent trips to each, including two to Tuscaloosa.
"Where should I start?" he said of Athens. "When I got to the hotel, that was by far the best hotel I've been at. They had the best setup, with a lot of stuff in my room and my family's room. It was good to see them happy for that weekend because they have barely gone on official visits with me."
Pritchett met with Kirby Smart and his assistant coaches and also spent time with fellow recruits like fellow uncommitted Peach State trench talent Christen Miller.
A slightly more well-known Atlanta native stole the show when it came to one family member, though.
"Met a lot of people and spent time with my boy Chris, Christen Miller, that's my boy and has been my boy for a minute," he said. "The game was amazing and my brother got to meet Quavo. He wouldn't shut up for the rest of the night (laughing). It was crazy.
"A great trip."
Pritchett is not only the top-ranked offensive tackle recruit in the country, he is listed as the No. 16 recruit in the country regardless of position within the Preseason SI99.