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Florida State freshman Ethan Pritchard is on his way home for the first time since an Aug. 31 shooting left him critically injured. The Seminoles linebacker was released from a rehabilitation facility in Jacksonville on Thursday, marking another milestone in his recovery from the incident. He had been in rehab for over a month following 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 occurred leading up to the shooting and that his ultimate goal is to return to the football field.

"It started off with me waking [my father] up at 1:30 in the morning just moving my arm," Pritchard said of his recovery. "When I first got here, I couldn't even move my whole right side. It started off with that, and then after that, it just got better and better."

One day after Florida State's season-opening win over Alabama, Pritchard was shot in the back of the head in what law enforcement said was a case of mistaken identity. The incident occurred in Havana, Florida, while Pritchard was driving family members home from a gathering. Pritchard said he heard shots ring out and put the car in reverse before blacking out.

Authorities arrested four suspects in connection with the shooting. Three men -- Jayden Bodison, Caron Miller and Germany Atkins -- and an unnamed minor face three counts of attempted murder and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle. Atkins was also charged with a count of 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 departed for the rehab center. Seminoles coach Mike Norvell paid a visit earlier on, just after Pritchard opened his eyes for the first time.

"It was something that was emotional for everybody, to be honest with you," Norvell said. "It's still a long part of the progress in this process moving forward, but it puts all things in perspective -- the appreciation of a blink."

Florida State honored Pritchard, a true freshman and three-star recruit in the 2025 class, at its first game following the incident. The linebackers' teammates carried his jersey to midfield for the coin toss, among other tributes.

Pritchard, a Sanford Seminole product, was a longtime Florida State recruiting target 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 suited up for the season opener against Alabama but did not play any snaps.