National Signing Day: Donovan Catholic’s Kai Pritchard Gives Illinois ‘A Rock’ On Its Offensive Line

When Donovan Catholic head coach Dan Curcione says senior Kai Pritchard was “a rock for our program,” he doesn’t just mean as an imposing offensive lineman on the field. 

Pritchard’s talent is well established, as the 6-foot-5, 290-pound senior made it official with the University of Illinois on National Signing Day on Wednesday. He is the top recruit from the Shore Conference Class of 2026 and one of only three players from the 42-team conference who signed with FBS programs. 

He signed with Illinois on Wednesday but will have an official ceremony with his family at Donovan Catholic on Friday. 

“When I verbally committed (in June), it was a big load off my shoulders, and now that I have officially committed it just makes me feel stress-free about football,” Pritchard said. “I’ve been dialed in on this day for a while. It feels good to finally have it locked. Now it’s just a countdown until when I get there (to Illinois).”  

Welcome to Illinois, @kaipritchard6

Jersey offensive lineman with high-end athleticism. OT/OG flexibility, leadership traits, and early-impact potential.#FamILLy26 pic.twitter.com/FtgpYkiiYK

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) December 3, 2025

The two-time, Shore Sports Insider first-team All-Shore lineman will be remembered at Donovan Catholic for more than just pancaking opponents. He was a leader, a mentor to up-and-coming Griffins’ stars and a player who stuck it out when things looked their bleakest, which is becoming a rare decision for star talents in the days of rampant transferring.  

Before the 2024 season, Donovan Catholic star running back Najee Calhoun transferred to North Jersey power Bergen Catholic, up-and-coming quarterback Zach LaBarca transferred to St. John Vianney, blossoming wide receiver Emanuel Genera left for Holy Spirit, and it felt like the Griffins’ program was coming apart at the seams.

Pritchard certainly had options, as any team in the state would have welcomed him with open arms, and he wouldn’t have had to sit out because it would have been his first transfer as an underclassman. 

Pritchard decided to stay, and the Griffins endured a 2-7 season for their first losing record since 2017. It was part of a rollercoaster career for Pritchard in which Donovan Catholic went 6-4 and 9-3 in his first two seasons, then bottomed out his junior year, and then reversed course this season. 

“We were definitely at our lowest point in years,” Pritchard said. “But if you had seen what Coach Curcione had done in the prior years just turning around Donovan Catholic football, I just had trust in the whole staff. I gave them my trust, and they gave it back. I felt like there was no reason to leave my guys or my coaching staff. I had been with them for two years already and had my connections with them, so it was hard to step away from them.” 

“He was a rock for our program,” Curcione said. “He could’ve left. A lot of guys around him left and went other places, and he stayed the course, always. I thanked him for it at the end after the Holy Spirit (state playoff) game this year. He believed in what we were doing. He never wavered.” 

The roster was down to barely more than 30 players in his junior season. It got to the point where Pritchard said his position on the offensive line was “play side,” meaning whichever way the play was going, that’s the side he lined up on. 

“Teams were smart. You would know where the ball was going last year (by where Pritchard lined up), but they couldn’t do anything about it,” Pritchard said. 

After enduring a tough year, Donovan Catholic rebounded to go 8-4 this season and claim a share of the Class A South title while finishing ranked No. 4 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 12. 

“Going from 2-7 to 8-4 was pretty unbelievable,” Pritchard said. 

“I was really happy that we had a really good season for him,” Curcione said. “I don’t usually get emotional about that over one player, but for what he did to stay with us, it just speaks volumes about his loyalty to our program.” 

Pritchard also took his game up a notch. He not only was a dominant offensive lineman, he was one of the best defensive players in the Shore Conference in only his second season playing on the interior of the defensive line. He finished with 85 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss and five sacks. 

“I thought he was the best defensive player in the Shore Conference,” Curcione said. “Last year, he wasn’t a difference-maker (on defense). I remember in the beginning of this year, I said to my son, ‘We need Kai to make plays on defense.’ At our first scrimmage he had like two sacks right away and my son was like, ‘Did he make enough plays for you? He sure looks like a difference-maker to me.’ In the big games that we won, he was a huge difference.” 

“I think I just kind of had to get the hang of it,” Pritchard said. “Last year was my first year playing on the D-line, and that was a new change. This year, my defensive line coach (Ron Mammano), who is our defensive coordinator, he put in plenty of time with us. He made a difference, and every game I came out with the mindset that I can’t be blocked.” 

The Strengths That Landed Pritchard in the Big Ten 

During his career at Donovan Catholic, Pritchard played right tackle as a freshman and sophomore and left tackle as a junior and senior. He prides himself on his versatility, and one of the selling points of Illinois was that the Illini didn’t immediately pigeonhole him as a guard, tackle or center. 

“There’s not too many guys who can go from left guard to right tackle to left tackle, and that shows their loyalty to me as a coaching staff that they didn’t say they exactly see me at one position yet,” Pritchard said. 

“I think his strength is that he’s good at everything,” Curcione said. “He’s really smart, he’s even keeled, and he’s really strong. He’s a good gap scheme blocker, he’s a good zone blocker – he’s just well-rounded.” 

He also has the athleticism at his size that will be needed to fend off the elite pass rushers who play in the Big Ten. 

“To me, that’s what sets him apart, obviously the way he can move and bend,” Curcione said. “If I were to pick one of those, his ability to get to the second level and block linebackers and be able to bend and move would be it.” 

Pritchard was also attracted to the tight-knit atmosphere at Illinois, where he said the family of fellow 2026 recruit Michael Clayton, a quarterback recruit from Florida, bonded with Pritchard’s family during his most recent visit to Champaign. 

“The other kids in the ‘26 class at Illinois are also just really good kids outside of football,” Pritchard said. “I had a gameday visit and I met Casey Thomann, another tackle who committed, and when we first started talking it felt like we knew each other for years.” 

Pritchard tried to contribute to that type of atmosphere at Donovan Catholic. He was one of the few constants on a team that lost transfers his junior year and then welcomed a whole group of them this season, plus a stellar group of freshmen who played on varsity right away. He helped integrate the newcomers into a tight-knit group that was playing its best football at the end of the season. 

Pritchard also mentored one of the Shore Conference’s next major Power Four recruits, freshman offensive lineman Xavier Fowlkes. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman was named All-Division as a freshman and has a big upside. 

“That’s my guy,” Pritchard said. “Ever since that Day One when he first came in, I was like, ‘We need to get this kid in the system.’ When you see a 14-year-old who’s 6-4, 295 pounds and looks ready to go, I want him to be the best.

“I’m kind of just telling him my ways, telling him how everything broke down in the recruiting life. I’m just really excited to see him grow. He’s going to be one of the best offensive linemen in the state or the country. By the end of the season he was like 305 (pounds) and moving.” 

While Fowlkes and the rest of a talented group of returning Griffins have yet to write their final chapter, Pritchard’s legacy at the non-public school in Toms River is a hard one to beat. 

“He’s an all-time great,” Curcione said. “I don’t know how you could see it any other way.” 

“I think that’s an unbelievable honor, especially for Donovan being around 63 years,” Pritchard said. “It’s really awesome to just be in that position.” 

Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point. 

Email: scottstump25@gmail.com