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The Tuscaloosa News
How Kalen DeBoer views Elijah Pritchett, Alabama football production at right tackle
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- How Kalen DeBoer views Elijah Pritchett, Alabama football production at right tackle
On paper, Elijah Pritchett has struggled at right tackle for Alabama football . But his assignments have not been easy ones.
Facing players like South Carolina defensive end Kyle Kennard and Tennessee defensive end James Pearce Jr. , Pritchett, per Pro Football Focus, has allowed four sacks, 15 hurries and 19 pressures. No other Alabama offensive lineman has been credited with more than one sack, eight hurries and nine pressures.
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Pritchett has been the lowest-rated pass blocker for Alabama's starting offensive line per PFF in each of the past two games against Tennessee and Missouri .
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said Pritchett has "a ton of potential and a lot of things that he's grown in" across eight games.
"I mean, he comes out to practice. He's competitive. I feel like his growth has been kind of proven over the year," DeBoer said. "I think there's a consistency to him that is higher than what it was at the beginning or even the middle of the season. And that's what you're looking for. That's all you can ask in your players is that they continue to grow, they continue to improve. And he's doing that, and we'll continue to help him as coaches. That's our job."
Pritchett, a former five-star tackle out of Columbus, Georgia, secured the starting right tackle job after battling with 2023 four-star tackle Wilkin Formby for starting reps through the first two games of the season.
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As an offensive line, Alabama has allowed 17 sacks in eight games, tied with Missouri and Texas for sixth-best in the SEC. The Crimson Tide is also eighth in the SEC with 47 tackles-for-loss allowed.
Aug 31, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) scrambles behind blocking by Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Elijah Pritchett (57) at Bryant-Denny Stadium during the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
LSU has 28 sacks and 49 tackles for loss through eight games.
Alabama will take on LSU at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Tiger Stadium on ABC.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: How Kalen DeBoer views Elijah Pritchett, Alabama football right tackle positon
