Syracuse football top-flight staff, led by Fran Brown, makes portal season fun yet again

It remains to be seen how many college transfers Syracuse football coaches will end up plucking out of the portal, but I can tell you this: the Orange staff isn't backing down to any other school out there when it comes to recruiting battles.

That includes, say, Colorado and its head coach, ace recruiter Deion Sanders. As well as fellow Atlantic Coast Conference team North Carolina and its new head coach, the legendary, Super Bowl-winning Bill Belichick.

The current transfer portal window opened on December 9 and runs through December 28. Last off-season, first-year head coach Fran Brown and his top-flight staff hauled in a top-25 class via the portal.

On the heels of a 9-3 regular season in 2024, a top-25 national ranking per the College Football Playoff ratings, and an upcoming date with Washington State in the Holiday Bowl, the buzz surrounding the Syracuse football program is palpable.

Earlier this month, during the early signing period for high school seniors, the 'Cuse signed 34 commits, the most in the country. Given that, we'll have to see how many college transfers the Orange lands this off-season.

Either way, Brown and his assistants sure are making portal season fun on the Hill.

Syracuse football has gotten on the board with its transfer-portal recruiting.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Orange staff received its first portal commitment, from former 'Cuse recruiting target and three-star offensive lineman transfer Naquil Betrand, according to social media posts.

The 6-foot-6, 328-pound Betrand, who plays both left tackle and right tackle, most recently played for Alabama. He has three years of collegiate eligibility left and took an official visit to Syracuse football this week.

When I wrote this article on Tuesday night, in its national transfer ratings, the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking had Betrand at No. 717 overall and No. 44 at offensive tackle.

As a three-star prospect in the 2023 class out of Northeast High School in Philadelphia, Betrand held a 'Cuse offer, visited the program a few times, and had Syracuse football among his six finalists before verbally committing to Texas A&M in August of 2022.

According to media reports, Betrand's primary recruiter at Texas A&M was Elijah Robinson, who is now the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the Orange.

After his freshman season at Texas A&M, Betrand entered the transfer portal. He was reportedly down to Syracuse football and Alabama before committing to the Crimson Tide on December 30 of 2023.

In 2024, Betrand barely played at Alabama. He said via his X page on December 9 that he would enter the portal, and the former Orange recruit is headed to Central New York.

When asked by top 247Sports analyst Mike McAllister why he picked the 'Cuse, Betrand said, "The coaches. The right environment. Felt like home."

Undeniably, other college transfers will join Betrand in the Orange's portal class ahead of the 2025 season. As I've outlined in other recent stories, various other transfers have also visited the 'Cuse or plan to soon.

Will Brown and his staff ultimately have another top-25 portal class? Stay tuned for that. Portal season is exciting yet again on the Hill.