Syracuse football makes top 12 of 4-star WR Calvin Russell; 'Cuse has nice buzz here

Over the weekend, Syracuse football made the top 12 of 2026 four-star wide receiver and top-15 national prospect Calvin Russell, who helped his program win a state title in Florida this past season.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Russell, who per his Instagram page also holds a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball, has a mighty impressive top 12 in his football recruitment. I wasn't surprised that the Orange was included, because Russell has spoken highly of the 'Cuse program and its head coach, ace recruiter Fran Brown.

Per a post on X from On3's Hayes Fawcett, Russell's top 12 consists of Syracuse football, Michigan, North Carolina, Miami, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Florida State, Oregon, Alabama and Southern California.

Naturally, it's encouraging and exciting that the Orange made Russell's top 12. On top of that, it will prove a steep challenge for Brown and his staff to prevail for Russell, yet at the same time, Syracuse football has strong buzz in his recruiting process, according to some recent comments from national analysts.

Miami, a hometown squad, is another top contender for Russell, experts say. At this juncture, I'm not seeing any analyst predictions for him on the 247Sports Web site, Rivals.com or the On3 Web site.

Syracuse football is heavily in the mix for 2026 four-star WR Calvin Russell.

Russell, as a junior in the 2024 season, won the Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA") 3A state championship in football at Miami Northwestern Senior High School, a program whose roster includes several Orange 2025 three-star signees and other 'Cuse recruiting targets.

He has visited the Hill in the past. According to analysts and media reports, Russell is eyeing spring visits to his contenders as well as official visits over the next few months. My sense is that he is likely to take an official visit to Syracuse football at some point.

The Orange coaching staff has been recruiting Florida hard across its 2025, 2026 and 2027 cycles. In 2026 specifically, the 'Cuse has at least nine verbal commitments among high school juniors in a class that resides in the top 20 around the country, according to several recruiting services.

Syracuse football 2026's cycle currently includes three high school players who hail from the Sunshine State, and a couple of three-star wide receivers have verbally pledged to the program.

We'll have to see how Russell's recruitment plays out, and I'll be monitoring his upcoming visit schedule. Undeniably, if he were to ultimately commit to the Orange, that would be a massive game-changer for the 'Cuse in its 2026 class.