Syracuse signs elite five-star Sunshine State wide receiver

Syracuse signed its top prospect in its 2026 class, as composite five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell inked his national letter of intent during the early signing period on Wednesday, the school announced.

It is a seismic addition to the class. Russell is ranked the No. 23 prospect in 2026 and the No. 2 overall wide receiver in the class according to 247 Sports.

Russell announced his commitment in July, selecting the Orange over fellow finalists Michigan, Florida State and Oregon. Interestingly, Russell didn’t officially visit Syracuse prior to his decision.

Russell said his decision came down to relationships, and specifically the one he had with head coach Fran Brown.

Russell is a historic recruit for Syracuse

The 6-foot-6, 190-pound prospect out of Miami (FL) Northwestern is the highest-ranked recruit in Syracuse history. He held more than 50 offers during his recruiting process and comes from a highly competitive pedigree.

His mother, Chanivia Broussard, played basketball at Miami, and Russell himself is a three-sport athlete, where he is coached by former NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in football.

In his junior season, he hauled in 39 passes for 704 yards and 13 touchdowns.

He is also expected to pursue basketball at Syracuse, as he averaged 21.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest in his sophomore season.

Russell delayed his signing for a day

Wednesday marked the beginning of the early signing period, and the day came and went without Russell signing. He announced during a signing ceremony at his high school that he wouldn't be signing that day, leading to speculation about Russell potentially flipping to Michigan or Miami, two schools that continued to recruit Russell after his commitment to SU.

Russell's agent, Justin Giangrande, released a statement on Russell's status, saying that he was still currently committed to Syracuse football, but confirming that he would not sign on Wednesday.

"He wants to make sure he is 100% certain with this decision before signing by EOD Friday," the statement said.

Northwestern continues to roll

The Bulls are one of the top teams in the entire country, and are currently 12-0 on the season. They are coming off an impressive 50-29 win over Central in the Region 4-3A championship game at Traz Powell Stadium.

Russell caught two touchdown passes in the win including one in the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach. After the catch, he summoned the NBA’s Steph Curry, using his classic ‘night night’ pose.

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