The Alabama Crimson Tide recently landed a massive commitment, but the commitment has not received all positive responses so far.
Marshall Pritchett, a four-star tight end in the 2025 recruiting class, is a 6-foot-5-inch Georgia native who previously held a different commitment. Pritchett was the top-ranked commitment left in the UNC Tar Heels class before announcing his decision to flip to the Crimson Tide. The tight end was considered a player to watch when considering flip candidates due to the fact that the Tar Heels have had a difficult season.
Following the move for Pritchett, the responses on social media were rather negative due to one specific aspect of his commitment. Ahead of announcing his pledge to the Alabama Crimson Tide, Pritchett shot up in the rankings going from 745th in the class to 222nd. This shocking change sparked controversy as many felt his ranking only changed due to the change in his commitment.
funny thing is if he would flip to colorado he would drop 523 spot lmao
— Jmanny🇵🇷 (@jmanny13) October 23, 2024
It’s a clown show.
Not worth paying for anymore.— .JØE™️ (@JoeMintyy) October 22, 2024
These sights are terrible! Just like when someone commits to certain schools and they immediately drop without even playing a game! Commit to certain schools and suddenly they are the best out there!
— ✊🏾Uniquely Me✊🏻 (@OnePhrozenSoul) October 23, 2024
However, Pritchett is on one of the most talent-rich high school teams in the country and does not put up the same numbers players at smaller schools do. Often times, the changes in rankings take long periods of time to occur due to the volume of recruits. Pritchett opened the 2025 rankings a year ago as the 378th overall recruit in the class, and has now returned to the same relative ranking he began in.
Alabama Crimson Tide Tight End Marshall Pritchett Reposts Statement Defending Ranking Change
While many college football fans were seemingly upset over the change in the rankings, Pritchett and the Alabama Crimson Tide were not worried.
Pritchett has faced criticism multiples times already throughout his recruitment and again has found himself in the midst of controversy. To no fault of Pritchett, his ranking previously dropped all the way down to 745th, which sparked fans to claim that the tight end was “overrated”. However, Pritchett responded by posting his season statistics with the words “speaks for itself” along side.
Speaks for itself…. https://t.co/kUna8qBxAN
— Marshall Pritchett 2025 (@MarshallPritch) February 26, 2024
Pritchett has continuously been a spark on the offensive side of the football despite the drop in his rankings previously. The tight end was outshone by other talented players who had the ability to be fed the football, while Pritchett does not. Rabun Gap-Nacoochee High School is currently ranked as the 100th overall school in the country, battling for the Georgia State Title each year.
After facing more criticism for the ranking changes, Pritchett responded by reposting a quote from an Alabama Crimson Tide fan. The fan defended Pritchett, providing the context surrounding his team, as well as the timing of the change in ranking.
Pritchett has 400 yards and six touchdowns on one of the most talented rosters in the country, which currently sits within the top-100 high school teams nationally.
He also jumped BEFORE he flipped to Alabama.
Dude’s a baller, let’s be real. https://t.co/JiNV9gtcMJ
— DJ Cadden (@dj_cadden) October 23, 2024
Regardless of when the change occurred, Pritchett has proven that he is a talented individual on the field and worthy of a high ranking. The tight end is also one of most kind individuals off the field, and to see such criticism towards the recruit is unfortunate.
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