Devops is a nice skill to have for a backend developer, however I'm not sure it is fair on your friend if you take a role you don't really want and might not perform well in.

In most companies, most of what a devops "role" does would be handled by backend devs anyway. Plenty of crossover between a devops role and a backend dev role. The important thing is to get some work experience anywhere in development to make yourself look way more appealing in future job applications.