According to national experts, 2026 four-star wide receiver and top-50 national prospect Calvin Russell could have a way to go in his recruiting process, but as far as I can tell, Syracuse football looks every bit the part of a significant contender for the state champion from Florida.
The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Russell, who also shines in hoops and reportedly holds a scholarship offer from the Syracuse basketball program, disclosed a top 12 not too long ago. That list consisted of the Orange, Michigan, North Carolina, Miami, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Florida State, Oregon, Alabama and Southern California.
Per media reports and some interviews given by Russell, he is extremely high on Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown. Russell has visited the Hill in the past, and these days, the Orange staff is recruiting the Sunshine State hard.
Now, without question, the competition for the 'Cuse to prevail in Russell's recruitment is steep, but I do think that the Orange has a legitimate chance to win out for him.
Let's see if Syracuse football can score an official visit from 4-star WR Calvin Russell.
Recently, I've come across some reports indicating that Russell hopes to visit as many teams in his top 12 as possible before potentially trimming down his list further prior to making a commitment announcement.
According to a story from On3's Hunter Shelton, he noted that Russell recently took a spring visit to Southeastern Conference member LSU, and that the Tigers are "high on the list" for him.
— Calvin Russell Dual Sport Ath (@14gump_) March 24, 2025
Shelton, in his piece, also relayed some intel on Russell, according to On3 director of recruiting Chad Simmons, who wrote in part, "Syracuse is trending and they are toward the top of his list."
That's encouraging to hear. Per Simmons, Russell plans to take official visits to suitors including Miami, the Orange, Florida State and Georgia.
Simmons added: "Russell is still working to set up unofficial and official visits for the coming months, but we like Miami and Syracuse as the top schools heading into the spring with the Orange having a little more buzz around it."
Within the 2026 class, both the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking place Russell in the top 50 around the country.
Russell, as a junior in the 2024 campaign, helped lead Miami Northwestern Senior High School to the Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA") 3A state championship. Miami Northwestern is an elite high school program, one that 'Cuse coaches prioritize in Florida.
Since I extensively started covering Russell last year, he's hovered around five stars, according to the 247Sports recruiting service. Currently, 247Sports has him as four stars, No. 18 nationally, No. 3 at wide receiver and No. 2 in Florida.