Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado's Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan enters transfer portal

Originally posted on Colorado Buffaloes on SI
By Josh Tolle | Last updated Dec 1, 2023 10:24 PM ET

Colorado left tackle Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan hit the transfer portal on Friday.

The 6-foot-10, 315-pound holdover came to Boulder in 2020 and was part of nine players to stay after hearing Deion Sanders' 'Louis Luggage' speech. He has played in 37 games over the past four years as a two-year starter, including CU's last bowl game.

Thank you buff nation pic.twitter.com/ZheMFbjwVY
— Gerad Lichtenhan (@GeradLichtenhan) December 1, 2023

Christian-Lichtenhan was part of an offensive line that struggled to protect quarterback Shedeur Sanders this year. He was sacked 52 times and eventually suffered a fractured back to end out the season.

Sanders and his staff already needed to address the issue on offense and will need another experienced player to anchor the line. There will be a flood of transfers coming via the portal in a few days. It's not going to be a surge like last time this year, but will be significant.

Christian-Lichtenhan exits with a year left on the books. We'll see where he'll end up come next year. He was the tallest player in Colorado football history, surpassing Nate Solder (OT, 2007-10) and Steve Young (OT, 1974-75), both 6-9, according to CU athletics.

This article first appeared on Colorado Buffaloes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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