Alabama successfully flips elite Notre Dame legacy playmaker from North Carolina Tar Heels
While things on the field are going haywire for the Alabama Crimson Tide, their off-field recruiting efforts are going well enough for fans to focus on the future. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer scored a flipped commitment this week, poaching 4-star 2025 tight end Marshall Pritchett from North Carolina. Pritchett is the son of former […]
While things on the field are going haywire for the Alabama Crimson Tide, their off-field recruiting efforts are going well enough for fans to focus on the future. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer scored a flipped commitment this week, poaching 4-star 2025 tight end Marshall Pritchett from North Carolina.
Pritchett is the son of former Notre Dame star linebacker West Pritchett. The 6-foot-5, 211-pound move tight end from Georgia gushed about Alabama recently, so this flip isn't the most shocking end result.
"Coming into my season when we reported for camp, I was pretty dialed in with my (North Carolina) decision," he told 247Sports. "(Bryan) Ellis, coach (Kalen) DeBoer and coach (Nick) Sheridan did an amazing job just chipping away. It felt like my commitment was made for me. It just fell into my lap.
What it really was, was seeing that 12 personnel and they are still spreading the ball down the field. CJ (Dippre) and Robbie (Outz) are big guys," he continued. "They are three down, in-line guys and they are still getting him the ball. Just to think what they can do with me over the middle of the field and spreading the field, it's very exciting."
Pritchett is viewed as a four-star recruit and is currently ranked as the No. 15 tight end in the nation according to the Top247 Player Rankings. The 247Sports Composite classifies him as the No. 22 tight end, No. 404 overall player, and No. 50 prospect in Georgia.
With Pritchett's commitment, Alabama’s recruiting class now has 23 members, and he joins four-star Kaleb Edwards as the second tight end in the lineup.
Recently, the playmaker visited Tuscaloosa for the Georgia game in late September. He had an official visit over the summer and visited the campus once more for a spring practice, where he received an offer shortly after that initial visit.
"What is bad about Alabama?" Pritchett said at the time. "There is nothing you can really say. If you put that into perspective, it is a huge deal. It's just crazy to put into perspective. It was a really good feeling, but it also puts you in that spot of 'what do I do now?'"
Bryan Ellis took the lead in this recruitment process from beginning to end, making it clear to Pritchett that he was a top priority. The opportunity to play for the Crimson Tide proved to be irresistible. He expressed this sentiment shortly after revealing his highly anticipated offer.
"It's legitimately the gold standard of college football. My dad went to Notre Dame and he won a national championship. College football and NFL growing up, it's what I eat, sleep and breath. I am just a junkie. Being so invested in all these different people, you just learn. What is bad about Alabama? There is nothing you can really say. If you put that into perspective, it is a huge deal. It's just crazy to put into perspective. It was a really good feeling, but it also puts you in that spot of 'what do I do now?'
I'll get to work in January and I'm just excited. I'm going into an opportunity where I am going to be surrounded by a lot of amazing talent. I have always been a guy when I step into new terrain or a new territory, I want to work my way back up to the top. Getting a fresh start at the bottom with a lot of guys who also have the same goal in mind, which is to win a national championship, is amazing. We're going in there with all of the same expectations and I think that will create a big, tight bond with our 2025 class. It's exciting."
If nothing else, Pritchett sure says a lot of exciting things. I checked out his game and he's definitely someone who can move for his size. He should become an impactful presence in 2026 or 2027.
