FSU football: OT transfer target Elijah Pritchett elects to stay with Crimson Tide

FSU football has seen roughly fifteen players enter the transfer portal this offseason. However, the Seminoles have mostly escaped disaster when it comes to departures to the portal.

However, one notable transfer update is redshirt junior offensive tackle Bless Harris, who decided to commit to TCU. Harris had dealt with his fair share of injuries during his two-year playing career with the Seminoles. The former Lamar transfer did have extensive starting experience at the collegiate level.

Florida State offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins had to deal with a multitude of injuries this season with his position unit other than Harris. Offensive tackle Robert Scott Jr. and center Maurice Smith also dealt with a sense of adversity in that regard.

The Seminoles typically utilized an eight-man rotation with Bless Harris, Robert Scott Jr., Maurice Smith, Casey Roddick, D'Mitri Emmanuel, Keiondre Jones, Darius Washington, and Jeremiah Byers during the 2023 season. However, Roddick, Harris, and Emmanuel will not be on the roster in 2024.

As a result, Florida State will have to go to the transfer portal and have their younger players step up in elevated roles. Two players that they were looking at in the transfer portal were Indiana offensive tackle Carter Smith (who officially visited earlier in the week) and most recently Alabama offensive tackle Elijah Pritchett.

Pritchett was a five-star offensive tackle recruit in the 2022 recruiting cycle that the Seminoles were heavily interested in before he elected to sign with the Alabama Crimson Tide. The talented offensive lineman lost the starting battle with Kadyn Proctor.

The Georgia native is a very talented player who could have ultimately been utilized at Florida State. As it stands now, the Seminoles are still wanting to acquire at least one offensive tackle and interior offensive lineman in the transfer portal. This could be a situation where Atkins could wait to pick up transfer prospects in the spring.