Naquil Betrand picks Texas A&M over Kentucky

The men’s basketball program has been on a recruiting tear, earning a trio of 5-star commitments in just over a month, but the football program has been on a tear of their own.

In the month of July alone, six high school football prospects pledged their allegiance to the University of Kentucky, and on Saturday another target made his college decision.

However, it was not in favor of the Wildcats.

Naquil Betrand, a 6-foot-7, 310-pound, offensive tackle from Philadelphia, committed to Texas A&M over the Auburn Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, Kentucky Wildcats, Penn State Nittany Lions, and the Syracuse Orange.

Originally a Colorado commit, Betrand reopened his recruitment on July 4th. At the time of his commitment, he only held one other Power 5 offer, Washington, but received more interest and offers in the months following.

Betrand took unofficial his official visits to Texas A&M on April 7th, Kentucky on June 17th, and Auburn on June 24th, then finished with an official visit to College Station after delaying his decision from July 30th.

Prior to the delay, Kentucky was seen to be in a better position in the recruitment, but the visit to College Station erased the Wildcats from the picture. Betrand’s visit was followed by two Crystal Ball predictions for the Aggies and a pretty revealing quote.

“It was a vibe, it just feels right down there,” Betrand said.

Without Betrand, Mark Stoops and Co. have three commitments on the offensive line with Koby Keenum, Austin Ramsey, and Malachi Wood. However, tackle depth is always needed, and it is unknown where Kentucky will look next.

With that said, if the Big Blue Nation has learned one thing from Stoops in his decade-long tenure, trust in the staff.