Bill O'Brien and the Boston College football staff received a bit of unfortunate news on the recruiting trail on Wednesday as one of the Eagles' top targets in the 2026 class committed to Illinois.
Kai Pritchard, a 4-Star offensive lineman from Toms River, New Jersey, took to social media to share his announcement. He chose the Illini over Boston College, Penn State, Tennessee and Rutgers.
COMMITTED!! FamILLy!!@IlliniFootball @BretBielema @artursitkowski4 @CoachCurcione @ronmammano @nasjack33 @Rivals @njgridiron_ @247Sports pic.twitter.com/JFsuX9YaIH
— kai pritchard 26’ OL (@kaipritchard6) June 18, 2025
Standing at 6-foot-5, 275 lbs., Pritchard is a massive offensive line prospect with a frame that already looks ready for division one football. He is ranked by 247Sports' composite ranking as the No. 12 player at his position in the nation and the No. 4 player overall in the state of New Jersey.
While missing out on a player of Pritchard's caliber is certainly less than ideal for O'Brien and the staff, Boston College has already picked up two commitments this month and could be expecting more with another weekend of official visitors coming up.
As of now, the Eagles hold 18 commitments in the 2026 recruiting class and look to be on the way to one of the best ranked groups in recent program history.
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