As Florida State football continues its off week practices, significant updates have come in the case of freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard being shot in the back of the head last Sunday. Pritchard survived the shooting and remains in the hospital in stable but critical condition.
CBS Sports reported tonight that four suspects have been arrested in connection with the shooting, which Gadsden County Officials said they believe was a case of mistaken identity. Pritchard was driving his aunt home after a family function on Sunday, Aug. 31, when the shooting occurred.
FSU head coach Mike Norvell, speaking this afternoon before the arrest of the suspects was announced, said that he visited Pritchard in the hospital on Monday and has been speaking with Pritchard's dad daily. Norvell expressed his gratitude for the efforts of all involved.
“We’re grateful for the work that’s been done by everyone involved,” he said, “with the medical staff, and the police department and their pursuit. We’re grateful for all the things that have been done in regards to helping the situation with Ethan.”
Seminoles Enter Off Week With Optimism
The Florida State Seminoles football team entered its first off week with nearly perfect conditions. Now sitting at 2-0, the then-unranked Noles toppled then-No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide in Week One and followed it up with a 77-3 rout of FCS East Texas A&M in Week Two.
As a result, FSU entered this break ranked No. 10 in the country and one of the darlings of the early college football season. To make things even better, the Noles escaped the first two games without any serious injury concerns.
One could argue that it would be better for FSU to have another game immediately so it could continue riding this momentum. On the other hand, the break may be perfectly timed to keep the Seminole egos from overinflating among all the national attention and local back-slapping.
Based on head coach Mike Norvell’s comments, he likely falls in the latter group. At his midweek press conference on Wednesday, FSU’s man at the top said the break from game prep allows his team to work on bettering itself without the distraction of an opponent to plan for.
He told reporters that this week is about “the big picture,” making sure that individual players understand their roles and responsibilities in various schemes and packages. After a week of self-improvement and a few days off, they’ll return to specific game planning next week ahead of their tilt against Kent State.
Offense Preps for Future Road Tests
One interesting note from Norvell is that they are using this week to prepare the offense for hostile road environments. With three home games and an off week to open the season, FSU will have gone nearly a full month – and entire offseason – before playing away from Doak Campbell Stadium.
Specifically, he said, they are pumping in crowd noise during practice this week to simulate a loud stadium on the road. Norvell is helping his offense work through “the dynamics” of communicating when it’s difficult to hear your teammates, particularly on third down and red-zone situations.
“This week, we’ve tried to create a little more adversity for the offense,” he said. “It’ll be a few weeks before we go on the road, but we want to make sure we emphasize that as well.”
FSU’s first road game is on Friday, Sept. 26, at Virginia, which will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN at 7 pm Eastern.
The Seminoles end the regular season with their final two games on the road – at North Carolina State and at Florida. In fact, four of the final six matchups in 2025 are on the road, with a cross-country trip to Stanford at the end of October and a huge matchup at Clemson on Nov. 8.
Four Arrested in Connection to Ethan Pritchard Situation
In addition to sharing his team’s practice plans, Norvell gave an update on linebacker Ethan Pritchard. A few hours after Norvell spoke to media, CBS Sports reported that four suspects have been arrested in connection with the shooting, as mentioned above.
The freshman has been in the hospital in stable condition since being shot in the back of the head on Aug. 31 while driving his aunt home from a family function. Norvell didn’t go into great detail, but said Pritchard’s condition remains stable with no major updates to be shared.
“Nothing more than, he’s progressing, but still in a critical state in the hospital,” he said.
“We’re grateful for the work that’s been done by everyone involved,” he added, “with the medical staff, and the police department and their pursuit. We’re grateful for all the things that have been done in regards to helping the situation with Ethan.”
Norvell said he visited Pritchard in the hospital again on Monday and that he has been talking with Pritchard’s dad daily to get updates, including before practice on Wednesday morning.
“We’ve been staying up multiple times a day just trying to stay connected and continuing to pray for him,” Norvell said.
Norvell gave Pritchard’s father the ceremonial game ball after FSU’s win over ETAMU on Saturday, who accepted it in honor of his son.
Florida State returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 20, against Kent State in Tallahassee. The game kicks off at 3:30 pm on ACC Network.
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