Syracuse Football: New analyst buzz in recruitment of priority 3-star OL

Consensus 2023 three-star offensive lineman Naquil Betrand, who by all accounts has Syracuse football among his small group of finalists, is expected to announce his collegiate destination on Saturday, August 6.

As we noted not too long ago, one of his other main suitors, Kentucky, had been getting some buzz from analysts on the On3 Web site.

But that buzz for the Wildcats appears to be shifting to another one of Betrand’s contenders, according to recruiting analysts.

The 6-foot-7, 310-pound Betrand, by the way, recently revealed a top six of Syracuse football, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Penn State, Auburn and Georgia, which is the defending College Football Playoff national champion.

Syracuse football offered a scholarship to three-star OL Naquil Betrand back in April.

When I penned this column on Thursday morning, Betrand had at least four predictions in his recruitment in the direction of Texas A&M between the 247Sports Web site and the On3 Web site.

The two projections on the On3 Web site each had a confidence level of 65 percent, while the two predictions on the 247Sports Web site had a medium confidence level.

I hadn’t seen any predictions from analysts or other recruiting insiders in Betrand’s recruiting process as of Thursday morning on Rivals.com.

From what I’ve read about Betrand in various fan forums, the Orange does seem to be a legit contender for him, despite the buzz in favor of Texas A&M.

He has taken both an official visit and an unofficial visit to the Hill and spoken highly of the ‘Cuse program in various articles that I’ve read about Betrand in recent months.

Rated a top-40 offensive tackle within the 2023 class by ESPN, Betrand most recently was a stand-out for Northeast High School in Philadelphia.

For his upcoming senior season, Betrand will suit up for one of the best high-school football squads around the country, the powerhouse Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore.

Betrand, who has earned more than 20 scholarship offers throughout his recruiting process, committed to Colorado in March but later on reopened his recruitment back up.

The buzz for Texas A&M isn’t a great sign for the Orange’s chances, but my sense is that Syracuse football has a shot. We’ll find out soon enough.