Syracuse pulls stunner in landing 5-star WR Calvin Russell

There had long been a quiet confidence with Syracuse sources surrounding Calvin Russell and now we all know why.

The Miami (Fla.) Northwestern High School standout, tabbed as the No. 4 wide receiver in the country by the Industry Ranking, announced his verbal commitment to Fran Brown‘s program on Saturday evening.

The monumental win for the Orange, over finalists Michigan, Oregon and Florida State, comes with layers of surprise relative to Russell and even the traditional recruiting buzz over the last several months.

For one, the five-star did not take an official visit to Syracuse within a busy June slate that included stops across the country on the college programs’ dime. However, he still managed to see campus about as much as any other contender.

Russell camped in Central New York last summer before attending at least one game at SU. In the spring, two return unofficial trips went down, including for the program’s spring game back on April 12. From that spring game trip on, the eventual winning program began to build considerable buzz behind the scenes.

Each side has seemingly been on the same page with this decision for months. Brown and company, per sources, did not want to hold the public buzz leading into this recruitment’s end so long as things remained the same behind the scenes between Russell, his mother and others. The five-star, just last weekend at the OT7 Finals, told Rivals his final three programs under consideration were “Oregon, Florida State, Michigan.”

While the new Syracuse commitment didn’t have a decision locked in the last time he was seen in person before the surprise move, he admitted he was close.

“I’ve got a pretty good idea,” Russell told Rivals less than a week before the pick would go public.

Russell projects as Syracuse’s signature recruit

While the Orange, coming off of a 10-win season and multiple NFL Draft picks in the spring, have seen strong success early in the Brown era — it hasn’t reached this level on the recruiting trail. The transfer portal has led to key wins like quarterbacks Kyle McCord and more recently Steve Angeli, but this prep win stands alone between Brown and perhaps multiple coaches previously at the helm in Central New York.

Even just the competition SU had to overcome plays key in the gravity of this one. Russell is a Miami basketball legacy and he has made it clear, for years and including through official visit season in June, how critical hoops would become in his general recruitment. Along with the Orange, it was Michigan and Florida State courting him the longest on the hardwood.

On the wide receiver front, the 2023 national champions and 2024’s No. 1 program for a bulk of the season were among the programs SU vaulted over. Of course that list also includes the in-state ‘big three’ between the Hurricanes, Florida Gators and Seminoles.

No matter how presented, as Syracuse now boasts a quartet of blue-chip recruits in the class, this win could play as reason for the Orange to plant its flag as a program that can contend with nearly anybody on the recruiting trail. It reigns especially true in the Sunshine State, where Brown and his staff have landed multiple blue-chip recruits in consecutive cycles.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Russell has state championships to his name in both football and basketball at Northwestern. He splashed in the title games in each sport most recently with a pair of highlight touchdown receptions in December’s win under high school coach Teddy Bridgewater.

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