BOULDER — The Buffs added a big man.
Offensive tackle Naquil Betrand announced Tuesday on Twitter than he is committed to the University of Colorado. He becomes the Buffaloes’ fourth commit in the 2023 recruiting.
https://twitter.com/NBETRAND1/status/1506343678834528261?s=20&t=pvNJBETsrN_q_EKN0Tq-xA
Betrand is a 6-foot-7, 315-pound lineman out of Philadelphia. 247Sports gave him an 84 grade, good for 93rd among tackles in the 2023 recruiting cycle. The composite score is still up in the air, as Rivals and ESPN are yet to grade him. Betrand also has offers from Coastal Carolina, Memphis, Washington and a dozen other Division I schools.
As you’d expect from such a massive prospect, Betrand’s highlight reel is packed with impressive plays. It’s tough to evaluate the technical aspects of his game because he bowls over whoever is lined up against him at will. The sky is the limit for Betrand because of his size, strength and mentality.
Colorado’s roster is packed with tackles. Starters Frank Fillip, a junior, and Jake Wiley, a sophomore, are back this season. Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan, a 6-foot-9 tackle nicknamed “Tank,” is a sophomore who could compete for a role as early as this season. Plus, new offensive line coach Kyle DeVan has already added a pair of transfer tackles: Alex Harkey, a sophomore from the JuCo ranks, and Tommy Brown, a junior from Alabama. Brown may be the safest bet to hold down a starting spot this season.
By the time Betrand is ready to compete for a job—probably ahead of the 2024 season at the earliest—current true freshmen Carter Edwards and Travis Gray may be his toughest competition. It won’t hurt that DeVan handpicked Betrand, while he was handed down the other two tackles.
Simply put, the current situation at tackle is much better than it was at this time last year, when the Buffs needed Christian-Lichtenhan to lineup with the first- and second-teamers in spring ball because they only had nine healthy offensive linemen. At least three tackles have a strong case for one of the two starting jobs and at least two more will be given a glance.
The cupboard is full for DeVan. Now it’s time to coach his group back to a Power-5 level.
