Colorado Commit Naquil Betrand Schedules Syracuse Official Following Unofficial Visit

The class of 2023 offensive lineman was blown away by Orange visit.
Colorado Commit Naquil Betrand Schedules Syracuse Official Following Unofficial Visit
Colorado Commit Naquil Betrand Schedules Syracuse Official Following Unofficial Visit /
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Class of 2023 Philadelphia (PA) Northeast offensive lineman Naquil Betrand has been committed to Colorado since mid March. That has not stopped other schools from recruiting the 6-7, 310 pounder nor stopped him from visiting. Cincinnati, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Texas A&M and West Virginia have all offered since his commitment to the Buffaloes. On Saturday, Betrand took an unofficial visit to Syracuse to get a closer look at the Orange. 

"Got my lanyard and changed and took pictures," Betrand said. "I got to see the trophies, national championship, the wall of fame, Donovan McNabb posters, stuff like that. Then we went on a tour of the whole campus and the facilities. Went to all the facilities around the school like where my classes would be at if I came there and my major and everything like that. We toured the field, the Dome. The Dome is crazy. I've never even been in a dome before, so to see that was crazy. 

"After the Dome, we went to the inside practice facilities and the Carmelo Anthony building. Saw all the basketball courts. Went to the weight room with the Muscle Milk and all that. Went to the apartments complex to see where I'd live at. Crazy. You get your own walk-in closet, your own personal bathroom. That's where it's at right there." 

Another highlight of the trip was spending time with the Syracuse coaches. 

"I sat down and talked to the o-line coach (Mike Schmidt), talked to the wide receivers coach (Mike Johnson), we talked about everything, and talked to the head coach (Dino Babers)," Betrand said. "It was real cool. They're real genuine people. The offensive line coach taught me a lot about fundamentals. Knowledge of film, fundamentals, coming in and working every day. Going against good people every day. Coach Mike, real good dude. Coached a lot of good players in his days. It was a good vibe from the coaches. I felt like it was home to me, I'm going to make that next step real soon. 

"Syracuse got a big shot, I'm not going to lie to you. At first I didn't even know Syracuse was that big of a school. I sat down with my grandma and my coach, listed out the pros and cons. There's more pros than cons, so that's a good thing, for real. I feel like they'll have a good shot at this recruitment right here." 

In fact, Betrand will be back on campus next month for an official visit. 

"I'll be up there for my official visit in June the 17th to the 19th," Betrand said. "I'll be up there with the quarterback commit (LaNorris Sellers)." 

Syracuse will not be the only official visit he takes, however. Betrand will take one to Colorado and says schools like Texas A&M and Cincinnati are in the mix for officials as well. 

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Mike McAllister
MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting.  EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans.  After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years.  Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports.  Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.