Syracuse football 5-star WR priority recruit appears to hold a 'Cuse hoops offer, too

In recent weeks, and even over the past few months, I've come across numerous articles from national recruiting analysts that speak to Syracuse football coaches prioritizing 2026 five-star wide receiver and top-15 national prospect Calvin Russell in the high school junior cycle.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Russell, a state football champion in Florida this past season, has visited the Hill and, in various interviews, spoken highly of the Syracuse football program and its staff, led by head coach and ace recruiter Fran Brown.

Now, the chatter is that hometown college squad and fellow Atlantic Coast Conference school Miami may currently be in the lead for Russell, with other significant contenders including Florida, Florida State, the Orange, Georgia, Auburn and several others, experts say.

But there's a twist here. Russell is also an excellent basketball player for Miami Northwestern Senior High School, and he could be eyeing a collegiate career that includes both football and hoops.

Might elite high school athlete Calvin Russell view Syracuse football and basketball as an enticing option?

A fellow 'Cuse fan, on Thursday, noted to me in a chat room that Russell has scholarship offers from several college basketball programs, according to his Instagram page. So I decided to check out Russell's Instagram account myself, and it turns out, he appears to hold a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball.

Candidly, I had no idea Russell had been offered by Orange hoops. I hadn't seen any prior media reports about Syracuse basketball offering Russell, but I think it's pretty darn cool he could potentially play both basketball and football on the Hill (or at another school).

Per his bio on the MaxPreps Web site, Russell seems to be a shooting guard/small forward (i.e., a wing player) for Miami Northwestern Senior High School. According to MaxPreps, the Bulls so far during the 2024-25 season are 23-3 overall and set to play on February 17 in the Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA") 4A state tournament.

Earlier this month, Russell's high school basketball head coach, Melvin Randall, said 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."

In January, Russell competed in the Navy All-American Bowl in San Antonio, and he earned high praise from analysts and scouts for his skills on the gridiron. Last December, when Miami Northwestern Senior High School won the FHSAA 3A state title in football, he caught four passes for 59 yards and two touchdowns.

On Thursday, Rivals.com national analyst John Garcia Jr. wrote an article where he detailed "must-get targets" for every ACC football team in the 2026 class. For the 'Cuse, Garcia picked Russell, writing that "the two-sport standout has been courted by both the football and basketball program at Syracuse and he has frequented campus as well, dominating an offseason football camp last summer before taking in multiple games in 2024. ... Russell has a national offer list and has been coveted by bluebloods for years, but the Orange are a major player here anyway. They signed his prep teammate Darius Johnson in the 2025 class, too."

The chance, even if it's not an overly great one, that Syracuse football could land a five-star wide receiver who is a fast-rising basketball prospect and could also suit up for Syracuse basketball is a fabulous possibility to ponder.