FSU’s Ethan Pritchard out of rehab after shooting, seeks return to football
Florida State freshman Ethan Pritchard is returning home for the first time since an Aug. 31 shooting left him seriously injured. The Seminoles linebacker was released from a rehabilitation center in Jacksonville on Thursday, marking another step in his recovery from the incident. He had been in rehab for more than a month after his Oct. 9 release from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.
Pritchard gave his first interview since the shooting and reflected on the incident and his road to recovery. He said he remembers everything that happened before the shooting and his ultimate goal is to get back on the football field.
“It started when I woke up [my father] I got up at 1:30 in the morning just moving my arm,” Pritchard said of his recovery. “When I got here, I couldn’t even move my whole right side. It started like that, and then after that, it got better and better.”
A day after Florida State’s season-opening victory over Alabama, Pritchard was shot in the back of the head in what law enforcement called a case of mistaken identity. The incident occurred in Havana, Florida, while Pritchard was driving his family members home from a gathering. Pritchard said he heard gunshots and put the car in reverse before passing out.
Authorities have arrested four suspects in connection with the shooting. Three men – Jayden Bodison, Caron Miller and Germany Atkins – and an unnamed juvenile face three counts of attempted murder and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle. Atkins was also charged with probation violation.
Florida State players and coaches visited Pritchard during his hospital stay, and when he was released, they gathered at the facility to cheer him on as he left for the rehabilitation center. Seminoles coach Mike Norvell visited him earlier, just after Pritchard first opened his eyes.
“It was an emotional thing for everyone, to be honest with you,” Norvell said. “It’s still a long way to go in this process, but it puts everything in perspective – the appreciation of a wink.”
Florida State honored Pritchard, a true freshman and three-star recruit in the 2025 class, in its first game after the incident. The linebackers’ teammates carried his jersey at midfield for the coin toss, among other tributes.
Pritchard, a Sanford Seminole product, was a longtime recruiting target at Florida State and signed with the program over offers from a number of Power Four programs, including perennial College Football Playoff contenders such as Miami, Notre Dame and Tennessee. He showed up for the season opener against Alabama but did not play a single snap.
