FSU football: What’s next after Elijah Pritchett committing to Alabama?

FSU football missed one of their top offensive line targets Tuesday afternoon when four-star offensive tackle Elijah Pritchett committed to Alabama. Most thought it was a two-way battle between the Noles and Alabama, with both teams holding 247 Crystal Ball Predictions at one time.

However, the ‘Noles 0-4 start didn’t help their cause, even though Pritchett likely could have played early in Tallahassee. Luckily, the Noles have a stockpile of offensive linemen committed, with a couple of quality targets remaining on the board in the 2022 recruiting cycle. Those targets would be:

• Julian Armella (No. 126 nationally, No. 12 OT)
• Eston Harris Jr. (No. 411 nationally, No. 40 OT)

Armella is a legacy recruit who unofficially visited in June and for the Notre Dame game. The Noles are primarily battling LSU and Miami, with Armella officially visiting the Tigers over the summer. Eston Harris Jr. visited FSU in June and July but hasn’t made it back to campus while making trips to Florida, Georgia Tech, and hometown school Auburn multiple times.

There could be some other players they are in contact with that are flying under the radar. They have six offensive linemen committed, but at least one of them is shaky on that commitment at best.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they went back into the transfer portal again to try and find another offensive tackle that’s ready to play. That’s been a common theme with FSU offensive linemen over the years.

There has been such a need they are forced into action too soon, often getting injured and spending more time rehabbing injuries than developing and getting stronger. It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the recruiting cycle shakes out and if other targets will emerge.

If the Noles can land Armella, it would easily be one of the best offensive line classes in recent FSU history.