5-star WR will also play for Syracuse basketball: 'Super skilled. Plays hard as hell.'

Syracuse basketball, much like 'Cuse football, is getting a standout prospect in Sunshine State phenom Calvin Russell lll, experts say.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Russell verbally committed to Syracuse football this past Saturday, he revealed at his birthday party, marking the program's highest-rated commit in more than two decades. The 2026 five-star wide receiver will also play for Orange hoops once he arrives on the Hill, a source has confirmed to me.

While Russell, a top-25 national prospect in football, is more known for his skills on the gridiron, he also excels on the hardwood as a guard/small forward. In recent days, I caught up with numerous analysts and scouts to get a sense of Russell's excellence as a basketball player.

The overriding consensus from those with whom I spoke? Russell's athleticism is off the charts. He can also score in droves. Although I didn't see Russell in 2026 national rankings from the primary recruiting services, perhaps he should reside in these ratings.

One other thing to note. Some chatter I'm hearing is that Russell may be an early enrollee on the Hill in January of 2026. Whether that means he could play for Syracuse basketball during part of the 2025-26 season is unclear to me at this time. Stay tuned on that.

Syracuse basketball and football got a stellar pledge from Calvin Russell lll.

Long-time writer Zach Smart, who has covered South Florida high school basketball and recruiting for HoopMIA, sent me this message about Russell: "Skilled, tremendous awareness and feel for the game. Can really score in manipulative, one-on-one situations and attack seams in the defense. Can put it on the floor and create for others, create his own shot. Usually, when guys who play football are playing hoops, we tend to think they bring athleticism and toughness. While he does of course bring that, he is unique in that he has a real rarefied feel for the game. Lot of high end football talent in the South Florida area. He is one of the few guys in this generation who has brought a whole new meaning to the multi-sport athlete, thriving in both."

Scott Golden, who runs the Hoop Exchange and is the authority on high school hoops in the state of Florida, says of Russell: "Super skilled. Plays like a PG. And plays hard as hell, tough as nails, rebounds, super athletic. Handles it, gets to the rim at will, plays with IQ. A long, wiry point/wing. ... He would have easily been a high major basketball player had his focus been with basketball."

A top national writer simply said: "Just a supreme athlete," when I asked him about Russell.

And a top national scout added: "Combo guard. Elite athlete. Skilled. Smart. Super physical. Limited from the perimeter. Could have easily gone high major in hoops, though."

Russell is a standout at Miami Northwestern Senior High School. In the 2024 season, in football, he helped lead Miami Northwestern to the Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA") 3A state title.

In 2024-25, in hoops, Miami Northwestern went 23-4, was ranked No. 23 in Florida via MaxPreps and reached the regional semifinals of the FHSAA 4A state playoffs. In the regional quarterfinals of that tournament, Russell tallied an impressive 38 points and 19 rebounds.

In February of this year, Miami Northwestern basketball head coach Melvin Randall said of Russell to wsvn.com, "Calvin can play all five positions, and he’s a special kind of kid that understands the game and knows how to play it very well."

For the 2024-25 term, according to MaxPreps, Russell averaged 15.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. He made 56 percent from the field, 30 percent from beyond the arc and 59 percent from the free-throw line.

Per his bio on 247Sports, Russell, as a sophomore for the Bulls, averaged 21.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 3.2 steals and 1.2 blocks a game. As a freshman, he averaged 18.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 2.7 assists per contest.

Also according to 247Sports, Russell's offer sheet in hoops featured teams such as Michigan, Illinois, LSU, Arizona State, Penn State, Florida Atlantic and Tulane.