On Thursday, Syracuse football 2026 priority target Calvin Russell lll released his final eight contenders and noted that he will make his commitment announcement on July 5, which had previously been reported.
The Orange, I'm pleased to say, made the top eight of the five-star wide receiver and top-25 national prospect in the 2026 class. The 'Cuse staff, led by ace recruiter and head coach Fran Brown, has recruited the 6-foot-5, 190-pound Russell hard for a while now, but Syracuse football faces stiff competition to prevail for the elite wide receiver.
His final eight includes the Orange, Miami, Oregon, Michigan, Florida State, Florida, LSU and North Carolina. When I wrote this article on Thursday, I didn't see any analyst predictions for Russell between the 247Sports Web site, Rivals.com and the On3 Web site.
In the 2024 season, as a junior, Russell helped guide Miami Northwestern Senior High School to the Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA") 3A state championship. He's also a stellar hoops player and reports a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball, per his Instagram page.
Syracuse football scores the top eight of 2026 5-star WR Calvin Russell lll.
In April, Russell was at the JMA Wireless Dome for the Orange's annual spring game. But the key question these days, one that I and many other Syracuse football fans are asking, is whether or not Russell will take an official visit to the 'Cuse before making his college decision known.
Over the past few months, multiple national recruiting analysts have stated that the Orange has strong buzz in Russell's recruitment, and that he also planned to officially visit the 'Cuse. Now, Russell could end up taking an official to Syracuse football, and we may not know about it until right before the trip occurs, or even after the fact.
I've gone on record a couple of times in saying that I don't think the Orange will win out for Russell unless SU coaches get him to Central New York for an official visit. Then again, even if he does OV to Syracuse football, the 'Cuse still may not emerge victorious in this recruiting battle.
Russell has already officially visited Florida. This weekend, he's set to officially visit LSU. In mid-June, per 247Sports, Russell plans to officially visit fellow Atlantic Coast Conference school Florida State.
We've got a little more than a month between now and when Russell is committing. Will he take an official visit to Syracuse football? That's a question that Orange fans hope will be answered sooner rather than later.