Pritchett has a memorable first impression of McElwain

Needing to sign six offensive linemen this year the Florida Gators are trying to get as many offensive linemen to visit campus as possible this spring and one big player visited on Monday.

That prospect was offensive lineman Tyler Pritchett (6-2, 288, Auburn, AL High) who made the long journey down to Gainesville for the first time ever on Monday.

“It was really good, I had a great time down there in Gainesville,” Pritchett said. “I got to tour the facilities, I got to sit down with the coaches and also got to meet one-on-one with coach [Mike] Summers.”

Pritchett was one of the first prospects to see head coach Jim McElwain in action at a Gators practice and he walked away impressed by the pace of practice as well as how offensive line coach Mike Summers coached during practice.

“I got a good vibe from practice, it was very up-tempo,” Pritchett said. “It was very under control and guys were getting after it. Coach Summers was great out there and he was doing a lot of teaching. When guys messed up he was doing a lot of teaching out there.”

The Alabama native has talked to Summers a lot over the last few months but he was impressed by what he witnessed in person from Summers from a knowledge standpoint.

“Coach Summers is a very fired up guy,” Pritchett said. “He met one-on-one with me about where he saw me playing before practice. He said he saw me as a center/guard. He drew up a few plays and went over some of the different calls that they’re going to run.”

First meetings are always special and memorable for prospects and Pritchett will always remember how he met McElwain on Monday.

“Coach McElwain is a funny dude,” Pritchett said. “It was kind of funny because I had seen a picture of him so I knew what he looked like but I was walking and he walked by me with his suit and tie on and I was like who is that to coach Summers. Coach McElwain said “Hey Tyler I’m coach Mac,” and I was like hey coach. We took a few pictures and everything but I had expected him to be taller so that’s why I didn’t recognize him.”

Heading into the trip Pritchett was very excited about his visit to Florida and the Gators met the expectations and succeed them according to the linemen.

“The facilities were great, I can’t say too much negative about Florida honestly,” Pritchett said. “It was a trip I was looking forward to and it lived up to expectations. I was hoping to have a good trip and it ended up being a great trip.”

A lot of big schools have come into the picture for Pritchett as of late but one SEC school is standing out to him.

“I would have to say that Florida is the leader right now,” Pritchett said. “I’m going to wait and see who comes through in the spring. Whoever comes by this spring then I’ll know they are serious about me. I’m going to narrow it down after that and if  I don’t have a decision made by June 1st then I’m going to wait and prepare for my senior year.”

 

INSIDERS TAKE: Pritchett says he wants to visit Florida either this summer or fall which shows just how interested Pritchett is in the Gators. I think Florida will be a team to contend with throughout the process but an Alabama offer would change things up a lot.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.