Boston College Misses Out on 4-Star OL Kai Pritchard

The New Jersey native was in Chestnut Hill for an official visit on June 6.

Boston College 4-Star offensive line commit Kai Pritchard alongside head coach Bill O'Brien | Credit @kaipritchard26 on X

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.

Upcoming Official Visitors

June 20-22

• 4-Star EDGE Carter Gooden - Visited Boston College on 01/19/2025
• 4-Star EDGE Mason Leak - Committed to Boston College on 10/03/2024
• 3-Star DL Mac Fitzgerald - Committed to Boston College on 07/25/2025
• 3-Star RB Jamal Rule
• 3-Star QB Femi Babalola - Named Boston College as a finalist on 06/06/2025
• 3-Star ATH Steve Klein - Committed to Boston College on 05/02/2025
• 3-Star WR Brayden Allen - Received in-home visit on 05/05/2025
• 3-Star DL Deuce Alailefaleula
• 3-Star OL Dean Ruksnaitis - Committed to Boston College on 07/25/2024
• 3-Star EDGE Sarrel Howard
• DL Amier Clarke - Received an offer on 01/28/2025

Check out our Boston College football official visitor tracker for the full list of official visitors.

2026 Football Commitments

1. CB DJ Biggins, 6-foot-1, 170 lbs. - West Hartford, Connecticut (Committed 01/20/2025)
2. CB Gerald Green, Jr., 6-foot-1, 175 lbs. - Staten island, New York (Committed 01/20/2025)
3. DL Mac Fitzgerald, 6-foot-4, 250 lbs. - West Roxbury, Mass (Committed 07/25/2024)
4. EDGE Mason Leak, 6-foot-5, 220 lbs. - Colchester, Connecticut (Committed 10/03/2024)
5. EDGE Dominic Funke, 6-foot-3, 230 lbs. - Westwood, Mass. (Committed 01/15/2025)
6. OL Marcelino Antunes, Jr., 6-foot-7, 285 lbs. - West Roxbury, Mass. (Committed 03/03/2024)
7. OL Brady Bekkenhuis, 6-foot-6, 295 lbs. - Arlington, Mass. (Committed 08/03/2024)
8. OL Dean Ruksnaitis, 6-foot-3, 270 lbs. - Easthampton, Mass. (Committed 07/25/2024)
9. OL Marek Jin, 6-foot-3, 285 lbs. - Exeter, New Hampshire (Committed 04/09/2025)
10. QB DJ Bordeaux, 6-foot-2, 195 lbs. - Parker, Colorado (Committed 04/14/2025)
11. RB Billy Barrett, 5-foot-8, 185 lbs. - Mountain Lakes, New Jersey (Committed 04/14/2025)
12. WR Alex Voss, 6-foot-3, 190 lbs. - Waxhaw, North Carolina (Committed 04/18/2025)
13. TE William Vaughn, 6-foot-3, 225 lbs. - Kings Mountain, North Carolina (Committed 05/24/2025)
14. ATH Steve Klein, 6-foot-2, 200 lbs. - Westwood, New Jersey (Committed 05/02/2025)
15. S Da'Jon Green, 6-foot, 190 lbs. - Choctaw, Oklahoma (Committed 06/07/2025)
16. RB Sedric Addison, 6-foot, 198 lbs. - Suwanee, Georgia (Committed 06/09/2025)
17. DL Gavin Neil, 6-foot-3, 285 lbs. - Chicago Heights, Illinois (Committed 06/15/2025)
18. WR Kelvin Brown, Jr., 5-foot-10, 165 lbs. - Jacksonville, Florida (Committed 06/15/2025)

Check out the Boston College Football Recruiting Tracker to stay up to date with the 2026 class and beyond.