Sure thing, let’s dive right in.
So, get this—heading into some big announcement, everybody’s guessing left and right, but really? No one had a clue. Not a single national expert stepping up with a bold prediction. It was like flipping a coin, honestly. But people kinda figured Michigan would snag whoever was on the block, especially with Bryce Underwood slinging those footballs around, and the team aiming for the stars.
The Wolverines, yeah, they’ve been on a roll, grabbing 10 four-star commits since, like, early June or something. And nine of those are top 200 material (at least that’s what the 247 Sports folks say for the 2026 class). But Syracuse? They finished last season with a 10-3 record, ranked 20th in the AP Poll for 2024, and yet only had, what, three blue-chips before Russell came along?
And then, boom, Syracuse comes swooping in. The appeal of basketball on top of football, plus hitting it off with head coach Fran Brown (and maybe a little NIL sweet-talking?), tipped the scales. Russell’s still got some refining to do, sure, but he’s swimming in high-major offers for hoops. Both Michigan and Florida State dangled the two-sport carrot, but guess what? He completely flipped the script by going with Syracuse.
College football guru Bruce Feldman even mentioned something like, “Fran Brown’s doing his magic up in New York: Five-Star WR Calvin Russell’s joining Syracuse. It’s a big deal—the highest-ranked prospect the Cuse has seen in ages.”
Syracuse just soared to No. 20 in the 2026 class according to 247 Sports team rankings, landing that shocking win in recruiting. LSU, Oregon, Miami? Yeah, they wanted a piece of Russell, too. Nope, didn’t happen.
Meanwhile, Michigan’s scratching their heads. They’re in a bit of a pickle, missing out on a wide receiver that would mesh perfectly with their star QB, Bryce Underwood. Head coach Sherrone Moore’s got his eyes on a championship build, but this little misstep isn’t exactly a pat on the back.
And that’s it, I guess. Crazy, right?
