Alabama Football: OL Elijah Pritchett Arrested For Knowingly Passing STD

Saban was likely fuming when he heard the news late Wednesday.

Alabama offensive lineman Elijah Pritchett was arrested Wednesday night and charged with knowingly passing on a sexually transmitted disease, the Tuscaloosa Thread reports.

A spokeswoman for the Tuscaloosa Police Department confirmed to the Tuscaloosa Thread a report was filed last week, leading to a warrant being issued for Pritchett’s arrest. It was served on Wednesday evening, and Pritchett was later released from jail on a $500 bond.

The Thread reports Pritchett was charged under AL Code § 22-11A-21, “which classifies the knowing transmission of a sexually transmitted disease as a Class C misdemeanor.”

Pritchett, a redshirt freshman, has played in all 13 games for Alabama football this season. He split time at left tackle with freshman Kadyn Proctor during a four-game stretch in the middle of the Tide’s 2023 campaign. Beginning with the SEC opener against Ole Miss, Pritchett logged double-digit snaps against the Rebels, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Arkansas. But after that, he went back to being the backup left tackle behind the true freshman starter.

While Pritchett is technically listed as the backup left tackle for now, the fact that he’s played in all 13 games shows the coaching staff trusts him and this isn’t a player the Tide can lose if they want to beat the Michigan Wolverines.

Pritchett seems to be in line to start next fall with right tackle JC Latham most likely turning pro after the 2023 season. A member of Alabama’s 2022 signing class, Pritchett was a top 50 recruit, including the nation’s No. 4 offensive tackle, per the On3 Industry Rankings. He planned to enter the NCAA transfer portal last Friday but changed his mind 24 hours later.

How Can Alabama football upset Michigan?

If Nick Saban and company are going to pull off the upset over the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines and continue their improbable quest for a championship, they will have to follow a similar blueprint they used to beat Georgia in the SEC title game.

It wasn’t a flashy game by any means, but efficient wins games and the Tide played efficient against the Bulldogs. They had a well balanced, methodical offensive approach against one of the top defenses in the country.

Alabama led in time of possession, and committed to running the ball even when the gains were minimal, Their 39 rushing attempts trumped the 23 passing attempts, but the commitment to the run opened up play action opportunities and chances to catch the defense off guard, resulting in two Jalen Milroe touchdown passes.

Most importantly, Alabama football didn’t turn the ball over against UGA. They were aggressive when necessary, converting both of their fourth down attempts, and finished the game with just 306 total offensive yards (192 passing, 114 rushing).

The Crimson Tide defense is good enough to keep the Michigan offense in check, so it’s going to come down to the Alabama offense sticking to their game plan and executing against the top defense in college football.