6-foot-6 offensive lineman Elijah Pritchett discusses ASU offer
Elijah Pritchett figured he’d need another season to secure any offers. And for the first time in decades, the COVID-19 pandemic had left even that, something as simple as a high school football season, in jeopardy.
The pandemic hit, quarantines began, and recruiting seemingly halted. For 2022 prospects like Pritchett, who at the time held no offers, offseason camps, school visits, and everything of the ilk were even more important. And, just like that, it was all canceled.
His hope was low.
“Coming into my junior year, I thought, ‘No one is going to notice me. I’ll just have to play and just prove myself,’” Pritchett said.
“But I guess I already did.”
And for the 6-foot-6, 260-pound offensive lineman from Columbus, Georgia, that was the surprise.
The first offer came from nearby South Carolina on March 23. Soon after, schools began flocking to Pritchett’s recruitment like pigeons to a dropped French fry. Nebraska and Michigan State pledged an offer within weeks. Schools like Tennessee, Oregon, Florida State, and Arizona State jumped in a little later in the summer.
Regardless, the recruiting transformation is striking. In March, Pritchett, a 2022 recruit, had no offers. For the next four or so months, the soon-to-be-junior did nothing. No college camps. No visits. No new revelations in his game. All he had was two years of high school film. And for 16 colleges, including a power-five baker’s dozen, that was enough.
“I’ve just been taking in all the attention from fans, coaches, everyone,” Pritchett said. “It’s just a wonderful feeling.”
The Sun Devils extended an offer relatively late compared to the flurry that preceded. Offensive analyst Kevin Mawae called Pritchett for the first time on June 13 and informed him the Sun Devils wanted him, a notion Pritchett anticipated after several ASU coaches followed him on Twitter in the days leading up to Mawae’s call.
“It was exciting,” Pritchett said, before adding a thought about being recruited by Mawae, an NFL Hall of Fame center. “He’s is cool … You can talk with coach Mawae in different ways than other college coaches (because he’s played the position before).”
At Columbus High, Pritchett played right tackle both his freshman and sophomore seasons, but his coaches have already informed him that he’d finish out his high school career on the left side. The move can only be an added bonus when he gets to college, just as his height has been for so long.
“I always stood out with my height, even in middle school. I’ve always been bigger than the people around me,” the 6-foot-6 Pritchett said. “My arms are longer, so I can do some stuff that other offensive linemen can’t do.
“(College coaches) just think that I have a good mentality, that I’m humble. They just think I’m a fit for their college.”
Indeed. College coaches routinely drool over 6-foot-6 prospects whether they’re a lineman, quarterback, or punter. But in Pritchett being a member of the Class of 2022, it’s going to be a bit before it’s clear where he’ll go to college.
He said he expects to narrow his schools to a top 10 next summer. And whether he commits somewhere that’s 300 miles or 3,000 miles away, he seeks a tight relationship with his future coaches.
“Wherever I feel like is home, that’s where I’ll commit. It doesn’t matter if it’s far or close,” Pritchett said. “(I want coaches that have) good relationships with the athletes. Like coaches you can go to when you need help and talk to them about anything.”
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