25-year-old rapper will play football at Syracuse

Syracuse landed one of its more unique commitments in program history on Monday, as rapper Nau’jour Grainger, who goes by the stage name Toosii, announced his commitment to the Orange via social media.

The announcement was made on Instagram, where Grainger has more than five million followers.

"For every kid who ever had a dream, make it reality,” Grainger wrote. "God’s will is the way and no one can stop it not even the devil. I wanna thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ for even giving me the strength to chase what I believed when so many people told me I couldn’t. Thank you to the people who supported me as well, it never go unnoticed. To be born in Syracuse and move to North Carolina at age 12 and haven’t been back since. When Coach Fran called, I knew it was a sign from God. So with that being said, Cuse I’m coming home.”

Grainger paused his musical career over the summer

Grainger had announced over the summer that he was taking a break from his music career and had started training in North Carolina with the dreams of being a Div. I football player. He was from the class of 2018 and played football at Rolesville (NC) High, appearing as a wide receiver and also on special team as a kick returner.

He is currently listed at 5 foot 8 and 165 pounds, and is 25 years old. He should have four years of eligiblity at the collegiate level.

Grainger is originally from Syracuse, but moved to North Carolina when he was a teenager.

Grainger has had a successful musical career

Musically, he has perhaps best known for the 2023 single "Favorite Song,” which was originally published on TikTok and went viral. The song went on to top out at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning double platinum certification status.

The single was followed by the release of a studio album, Naujour, which eventually rose to No. 19 on the Billboard 200. His debut album, Poetic Pain, released in 2020, was as high as No. 17.

Grainger received an offer from Sacramento State and was also drawing interest from NC State and Duke, which he visited earlier in the year.

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