Florida State freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard is expected to be on the sideline Saturday when the Seminoles host Virginia Tech in their final home game of the season. A meaningful return and milestone just months after surviving a gunshot wound.
Pritchard was released from in-patient rehabilitation this week and returned to Tallahassee on Friday to visit with teammates and coaches. He will continue his rehab closer to home in Central Florida, but told WESH-TV his long-term plan remains unchanged. He intends to play football again.
Pritchard was shot in the back of the head on Aug. 31 in what authorities described as a case of mistaken identity. He had been dropping off family members after a gathering in Havana, Florida, a small community north of Tallahassee near the Georgia border. Four suspects were arrested last month in connection with the shooting, according to ESPN.
Welcome home, @EthanPr74464069!#NoleFamily pic.twitter.com/Bo3X7bQRM7
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) November 14, 2025
Pritchard spent nearly six weeks at a Tallahassee hospital before transferring to a rehabilitation facility in Jacksonville. He told WESH he initially could not move his right side, but his recovery took a dramatic turn one morning when he suddenly regained movement in his arm.
“After that, it just got better and better,” Pritchard said.
Florida State hosts VT on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, ACCN).
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