Two Syracuse football 2026 verbal pledges are preseason All-Americans ahead of the upcoming 2025 season.
Andy Villamarzo of Rivals has disclosed his projected All-Americans in high school football for 2025. Making the list are Orange 2026 commits Calvin Russell lll, a five-star wide receiver, and Jimmy Gregg, a three-star punter.
The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Russell, a top-25 national prospect, chose the 'Cuse in early July over other finalists Florida State, Michigan and Oregon. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Gregg, the country's No. 1 punter per 247Sports and the industry-generated Rivals Industry Ranking, picked Syracuse football in mid-June over scholarship offers from West Virginia, N.C. State and Purdue, among others.
Syracuse football 2026 commits are preseason All-Americans.
As a junior in the 2024 season, Russell helped lead Miami Northwestern Senior High School to a state championship in Florida. According to Villamarzo, last year, Russell caught 39 passes for 704 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Rivals writer says that "Russell is one of the latest special talents out of the 305."
National recruiting analysts say that until Russell officially signs with the Orange, other suitors will likely continue to try and push for him to flip. Those suitors might include Michigan and his hometown school, Miami, among others.
Gregg is a standout at University High School in Morgantown, W.Va. According to Rivals, last year, he averaged close to 43 yards per punt and had 20 downed punts inside the 20-yard line. Mighty impressive.
Look for Gregg to arrive on the Hill in the 2026 season and eye the starting punting job. The Orange's All-ACC punter, Jack Stonehouse, is a redshirt senior in the upcoming term. He has proven terrific since transferring to the 'Cuse from Missouri, and Gregg could be the next fantastic punter in Central New York.
To date, Syracuse football has 28 verbal pledges in its 2026 class. The Orange's 2026 cycle is hovering around the top 25 nationally these days, according to multiple recruiting services.
In addition to Russell, the 'Cuse 2026 class features several commits who are rated four stars. The Orange coaching staff has done a tremendous job recruiting high-level prospects, including Russell, who hail from the talent-laden Sunshine State.
That being said, analysts say it could be a long few months for Syracuse football fans as the 'Cuse staff tries to hold off other suitors from flipping Orange 2026 commits before the early national signing period arrives in December.