5-star Crimson Tide blocker arrested for 2nd time in five months

Alabama Crimson Tide top reserve offensive lineman Elijah Pritchett was arrested last Friday, according to public records. If proven guilty, he could face a maximum of three months in jail and a fine of up to $500 as the Exhibition of Speed misdemeanor has been charged against him. Pritchett posted his $300 bond and was released.

According to the testimony of the local police officers, Pritchett quickly switched lanes and accelerated his Dodge Charger to escape when the officers approached him on foot. They chased him and eventually stopped him near the Walk of Champions located at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

A football player named Pritchett has been arrested for the second time in the last five months. In December, he was charged with knowingly spreading a sexually transmitted disease, which was a Class C misdemeanor. 

Pritchett was recruited by Alabama as a highly-rated tackle in the 2022 class. After redshirting as a freshman, he played in every game last season as a reserve. He had practiced as Alabama's first-team left tackle this spring until Kadyn Proctor opted to return from Iowa. 

New Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer previously expressed concern for his offensive line depth this coming fall, and Pritchett's legal issues won't help. Behind Pritchett is the redshirt freshmen tandem of Wilkin Formby and Miles McVay. Incoming transfer Naquil Bertrand is also available but unproven.

It's worth noting that none of the four players mentioned in the first paragraph have played college football at the start of their careers. Pritchett has the most experience, having played a total of 108 offensive snaps during his two seasons in college. McVay and Formby played fewer snaps than Pritchett, with 28 and 14 snaps respectively during their debut seasons. Betrand did not play any snaps during his only season with the Aggies. 

Moving on, Proctor, who is a sophomore, won't be rejoining the team until after spring camp. However, he is expected to continue playing as the starting left tackle. Proctor was a five-star talent who joined Alabama as the top-rated tackle in his class. He started all 14 games last season, becoming the first true freshman to start at left tackle for Alabama since Cam Robinson in 2014. However, he did experience some difficulties during his debut season.