Van Wells was a freshman at Colorado in 2022 when he first saw Gerad “Tank” Christian-Lichtenhan wearing football pads. Now a junior center at Oregon State, Wells reflects on his future teammate.
With a smile, he says, “What did I think? That’s one tall guy! He’s big and moves well. He works hard, so it’s easy to appreciate Tank.”
Gerad “Tank” Christian-Lichtenhan, likely to be OSU’s starting left tackle this fall, is believed to be the tallest player in college football this season. The only one taller was former Oregon State basketball player Jack Wilson, who went on to play as a 6-foot-11 offensive tackle at Washington State.
Having transferred from Colorado, where he played for four years and graduated last spring, Lichtenhan is excited to pursue football. Despite being 6-10, basketball isn’t his passion.
“I played one year in high school and didn’t like it, so I never played again,” he said. “It’s not physical enough for me. I’d always try to check people, but you can’t do that in basketball. It was fun, but not really my thing.”
Growing up in Davis, California, Christian-Lichtenhan started with swimming, which suits tall athletes well. He was already 6 feet tall by sixth grade and recalls being “pretty average,” though his parents insist he excelled in the pool.
He also mentioned, “I started eating a lot, and my grandpa suggested I try contact football.”
Initially, his parents were hesitant. “They weren’t very enthusiastic, so they put my grandfather’s name on my jersey for the first year or two. Eventually, they came around,” he explained.
At 6-10, playing football comes with its advantages and challenges. A benefit is that he won’t encounter anyone taller, while the drawbacks are…
“It’s a challenge when shorter guys hit you below the knees,” he noted. “That’s just part of being a giant.”
OSU offensive line coach Kyle DeVan is unsure about the height limits for playing football. He appreciates that Christian-Lichtenhan has a wingspan of about 7½ feet, which can be beneficial if he maintains proper technique with bending, flexibility, and mobility.
“I keep emphasizing to Tank that he needs to be able to bend, as everyone he faces is shorter—by a significant margin. When you’re up against a 6-1 defensive tackle, you’re giving up eight or nine inches, so you need to compensate by bending your knees and lowering your center of gravity,” DeVan explained.
When asked about the height threshold for football, DeVan considered whether 7-foot-1 former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal could play.
“Historically, in football, bigger players tend to dominate smaller ones, so larger athletes have an advantage,” DeVan said. “I would love to coach Shaq; that would be an exciting challenge.”
DeVan has worked with Christian-Lichtenhan before, serving as Colorado’s offensive line coach in 2022. He remembers a player eager to learn how to harness his size, a quality that remains evident since Christian-Lichtenhan transferred to Oregon State.
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