Syracuse Football: Other schools are pushing to flip 5-star Calvin Russell. Bring it.

Syracuse football 2026 verbal commit Calvin Russell lll has said his recruitment is shut done, although other suitors continue to pursue him, analysts say.

The chatter is that teams such as Michigan, Miami and Florida State will keep trying to flip the five-star wide receiver before the early signing period arrives this December. To me, that's all good.

Sure, Orange Nation may feel some anxiety as a result, but this happens in recruiting all the time. ALL THE TIME. I trust Calvin when he says, "There will be nothing else going on with my recruitment."

If that doesn't end up being the case, so be it. Stuff happens. But I don't think that will transpire.

Schools are trying to flip Syracuse football 2026 pledge Calvin Russell lll.

In early July, the 6-foot-5, 190-pound Russell verbally committed to the Orange over other finalists Michigan, Oregon and Florida State. Before that, in the spring, he had a top 12 of the 'Cuse, Michigan, North Carolina, Miami, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Florida State, Oregon, Alabama and Southern California.

Russell will also play for Syracuse basketball, I've been told. He is expected to sign this December with the Orange, he's reportedly agreed to a lucrative name, image and likeness deal with the 'Cuse, and I'm hearing that he may enroll at SU in January of 2026.

However, given that he's a top-25 national prospect in the 2026 class, it would prove understandable if other schools make a push for him over the next few months. Michigan and Syracuse football appeared to be the final two for Russell, a standout at Miami Northwestern Senior High School.

The Wolverines remaining on the prowl for Russell is reasonable. Miami is a hometown team for him. The Seminoles are another Florida-based school. Those, to me, would be the three suitors most likely to continue recruiting Russell hard this fall.

One dilemma those other squads face is that he's already taken official visits to them. So this fall, he could only go on unofficial visits to these schools. Of course, Miami and Florida State aren't far away, geographically speaking. Michigan, though, is.

On the other hand, Russell hasn't yet officially visited the Orange program. I'm expecting him to take an official visit to Syracuse football sometime this fall.

Another advantage for the 'Cuse here is that they have Fran Brown. The Orange head coach is the main reason why Russell picked Syracuse football. Not NIL or anything else.

Over the course of his recruitment, Russell has said that he and his family have developed a stronger bond with Brown than any other college coach out there. Stranger things have happened, and I recognize I'm a homer since Syracuse University is my alma mater.

However, I feel confident that Russell is going to sign with the Orange during the early period this December. For what it's worth, Zach Blostein of 247Sports recently wrote in part, "Calvin Russell made a commitment to Syracuse over the summer but there is skepticism around the industry that he'll stick with the Orange in the end."

As I said earlier. All good. Calvin will stick with the 'Cuse.