Naquil Betrand Commits to Alabama Over Syracuse

Syracuse football lost a transfer offensive lineman on Saturday as Naquil Betrand announced his commitment to Alabama. The Texas A&M transfer previously had scheduled official visits to Syracuse (January 5th) and Alabama (January 12th). Now he will take his visit to Tuscaloosa but not to Central New York. 

Syracuse does have one offensive lineman from the portal thus far. Previously, Georgia transfer Joshua Miller committed to Syracuse. Miller is expected to play the interior while Betrand would have been a tackle. The news means Syracuse will keep looking for tackle help. 

Betrand is listed at 6-6, 340 pounds on the Texas A&M website. He originally signed with the Aggies as part of their 2023 recruiting class over offers from Auburn, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Washington and several others. Betrand's primary recruiter at Texas A&M was Elijah Robinson, who is now Syracuse's defensive coordinator. He was previously committed to Colorado out of high school as well.

As a recruit, Betrand was a consensus high three star prospect out of Northeast High School in Philadelphia (PA). He was ranked the 33rd best offensive tackle by 247Sports, 41st best tackle by ESPN, 71st best by Rivals and 74th by On3. In Pennsylvania, 247Sports slotted Betrand 8th best in the state, ESPN ranked him 11th, Rivals put him 15th, while On3 had him 24th.