Virginia Tech received some surprising news today as freshman offensive lineman Will Pritchard announced on Instagram that he has decided to retire from football.
Nothing official from VT yet, but #Hokies freshman offensive lineman Will Pritchard posts on Instagram that he’s retiring from football due to too many brain injuries. He redshirted this past year. pic.twitter.com/eU0q60k60p
— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) December 3, 2019
Virginia Tech has yet to confirm or comment on Pritchard's decision though it seems pretty clear that his future is away from playing football.
The interior lineman from Richmond was a part of a talented 2019 offensive line class that included a pair of four-stars in Doug Nester and Bryan Hudson, both of whom earned starting roles this season, and three-star SWVA native Jesse Hanson. Pritchard will continue to be on scholarship for the Hokies, but his scholarship will no longer count against the 85 football scholarship limit.
With Pritchard's departure, the Hokies interior offensive line depth does take a hit. However, the presence of Nester, Hudson, and Hanson may mean that the Hokies aren't as urgent in pushing to add an interior offensive lineman to pair with three-star offensive tackle commit Parker Clements. Of course, the Hokies could also make a last minute push for a late offer based on senior film evaluation given that Tech likely would prefer to add more than one lineman this cycle.
For Pritchard, we wish him the best in his future endeavors as he heads into this next phase of life.
