Boulder, CO–Thee Pregame Show’s own Uncle Neely sits down with offensive lineman Gerad “Tank” Christian-Lichtenhan for the first episode of one of the channel’s newest segments, “Heard from the Herd.”
At 6’10” and 315 pounds, it’s hard to think of a better fitting nickname than Tank.
“So let’s start there, man,” Neely said. “How did you get the name Tank?”
“I was probably, what, eight, nine years old playing peewee football,” Tank said. “They’re like, that’s a big ass kid, we got to give him a nickname. And so ever since then, my name is Tank.”
And everyone knows him as Tank. So much so, that a mention of his government name is an anomaly.
“It makes you take a double take,” he said. “But usually, they know it’s Tank.”
A Different Vibe with Prime
Tank has been through quite a few staff changes since being recruited in 2020. Though he recognizes the coaches of the past were great coaches with different skill sets, he’s been “really excited to see” the new culture under Head Coach Deion Sanders.
“I think Coach Prime coming in with his mentality of win, win, win, win now, and everything we do is to a professional standard to win, it has been such an impact on CU and the community and football all around.”
It’s something Tank said “you can really see in the guys’ play” and “in the community support.”
And the Prime effect has not only impacted Tank as a player, but as a man, too.
“You know, Coach Prime really helps explore your faith,” he said. “[He] has really just said believe in what you want to believe, but believe in that power, because that power is going to get you through the hard times. And I do believe in that.”
Tank said everything Deion Sanders has put into this program has paved the way for him.
“It’s really helped me develop as a human,” he said.
Riding Through the Changes
Tank admits it was “kind of a hard overturn” amid roster changes at CU.
“I had a lot of guys that I came in with, about 15 left for my recruiting class, and now I’m down to about six or seven,” he said. “So our tight-knit pack of 15 dwindled a little bit.”
Still, Tank is able to acknowledge and appreciate the silver lining.
“It really made me, like, lean on to the guys coming in, which made our bonds even stronger in such a quicker time,” he said.
Tank calls it “a great system.”
“It’s a huge support and family vibe of a team that I love to see because we’re all pushing for that and we’re not all here to just get through practice,” he said. “We’re all here to compete and dominate the PAC-12 this year, so I’m really excited for that.”
Protecting No. 2
“Speaking of guys that have come in, one of those guys is QB Shedeur Sanders, a guy it’s your job to make sure he’s standing upright. What’s y’all’s relationship development been like?” Neely asked.
“We’re definitely friends,” Tank said. “We definitely have the culture in the locker room and on the field to where I know if I say something and just mess with him, he’ll do the same back. It’s always a serious situation when I’m protecting his blindside because it’s such an important part.”
Tank acknowledges protecting the quarterback is a job that comes with “a little bit of a stress,” but he appreciates the fun he and Sanders bring to it.
“[To] have the community with him or the friendship with him to joke about it and we can talk about it,” he said. “And even when we come to the sideline, ‘Oh, you like that protection?’ or something like that. We’ll talk about it. He’ll laugh, I’ll laugh, and it’s a good time.”
Having protected his number of quarterbacks at Colorado, Tank loves what he has in Sanders.
“All quarterbacks are different and they all have different tendencies in the pocket, but Shedeur really like came out and started his progression early on so I kind of felt him in the pocket when I needed to feel him. I can feel where he is in the pocket, I kind of can understand where he is behind me.”
Tank said Shedeur coming in the spring and being able to be comfortable with the O-line right away really helped his progression.
“It’s given me a better opportunity to figure out where he’s at in the pocket and just protect every spot I can,” he said.
A Nice Addition to the O-line Room
When it comes to leadership of the O-line, Tank also admires what he has in Offensive Line Coach Bill O’Boyle, known as Coach OB.
“I love him,” Tank said. “He’s a really respectable man, he’s a technician. So even if we’re going 100% and he sees something wrong with our hands, he’s going to call us out about it.”
It’s what Tank calls “the most important part.”
“Having him as such a technique mastermind of an O-line guy and spent so many years with so many different offensive schemes, I just really think it’s a super nice additive to the O-line room because he is such a detailed person.”
Still the Same Tank
Though all the new recognition surrounding Tank “feels nice,” he’s adamant it doesn’t change who he is or what he does.
“I’m gonna keep my head down and just work,” he said. “Good work, bad work, whatever it is, I’m going to fix it, move on, get better. I don’t care what it is. I’m going to progress. I’m always trying to go on that linear path upwards.”
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