Syracuse Football has landed an Alabama transfer.
Yes, you read that right. It’s a new era of recruiting for Syracuse with Fran Brown, and the first spash for 2025 was made this afternoon. Transfer offensive lineman Naquil Betrand committed to SU with three years of eligibility.
It’ll be the third school in as many years for Betrand, who started at Texas A&M before playing with the Crimson Tide. While those are some big name schools, what Betrand will bring to SU is more of a question mark. He didn’t play with the Aggies (while now-SU DC Elijah Robinson was on stuff), and only played 28 snaps this past year.
But there’s one thing he does bring – size. Betrand comes in a 6’6, 328 pounds. This signing goes hand-in-hand with Brown’s policy of winning in the trenches.
In limited film from this past year, Betrand used that size to give a decent amount of time to the QB. It’s not known who will be taking snaps next year for SU, but whoever it is will need protection.
This year was a huge step in the right direction for Syracuse o-line. While it was far from perfect, there were less injuries and more pocket time than the past few years heading into the Holiday Bowl.
So where does Betrand slot in? There’s not a clear answer right now. He lists himself as a right and left tackle, two positions where SU has a decent amount of non-senior depth. Savion Washington, Enrique Cruz, David Wohlabaugh Jr. and Da’metrius Weatherspoon all could return for SU.
But in today’s transfer-prone world, the more talent you can bring in the better. And you can’t ignore the fact that Betrand impressed two SEC coaching staffs to bring him on.
The lack of recent playing time leaves a lot up in the air with Betrand. But the three-star transfer bring a lot of potential for SU, a promising sign.
