Not even 24 hours after the USC Trojans were hit hard with the news of starting guard Emmanuel Pregnon entering the portal, they have a huge opportunity to stop the bleeding and add an elite offensive lineman.
According to Hayes Fawcett, 5-Star Alabama starting offensive tackle, Elijah Pritchett has entered the Transfer Portal.
Should USC Trojans Target Elijah Pritchett?
Now, obviously, Pregnon was a guard and Pritchett is a tackle, but as it currently stands, the USC Trojans do not have a starting right tackle with Mason Murphy also hitting the portal.
There is, however, young tackle talent on the roster, but going into the 2025 season with three new starters across the line, and potentially all three having little to no experience, would certainly be a risk.
Pritchett started all 13 games for the Crimson Tide this past season and would bring elite traits with him. At 6’6, 330 pounds, Pritchett would be an upgrade to the right side and would allow Tobias Raymond and Justin Tauanuu more time to develop.
It would also be possible for one of these two players to slide inside and move to guard if playing time was pivotal.
Unfortunately, in today’s college football, you just don’t have time to truly develop players. And as we have seen over the past month, many players would rather transfer than get developed.
Pritchett took an official visit to USC back in June of 2021, so there was interest between the two parties back then, which could certainly be rekindled.
Lincoln Riley needs to push all the chips in this year and build the best possible roster to win it all in 2025. Adding the talent of Elijah Pritchett could certainly aid in that.