Welp. Elite WR Calvin Russell has committed to Syracuse over Michigan and others. STORY:
The Michigan Wolverines lost out on an elite player on Saturday night, as 2026 wide receiver Calvin Russell announced his commitment to Syracuse.
A Top-50 overall talent in the 2026 class, Russell is listed at 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds. The Miami, Florida native had offers from the best of the best in college football, but decided to take official visits to LSU, Miami, Florida State, Oregon and Michigan.
But despite all that, he decided to commit to Syracuse due to his strong relationship with head coach Fran Brown. He even called out Brown in his announcement tweet.
BREAKING: Five-Star WR Calvin Russell has Committed to Syracuse, he tells me for @rivals
The 6’5 200 WR chose the Orange over Michigan, Florida State, & Oregon
He’s the highest-ranked recruit to commit to Syracuse in the past 20 years
“FRAN BROWN!!!”https://t.co/CicMLyvwqr pic.twitter.com/P2QPwtqCKz
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 6, 2025
Russell would’ve been an incredible addition to Michigan’s 2026 class, but the Wolverines still have four-stars Zion Robinson and Travis Johnson, as well as three-star Jaylen Pile.
It’s unclear if the Wolverines will continue to go after Russell, but it would not surprise me if they kept recruiting him until signing day in December. The Orange are not expected to be a strong competitor this season in the ACC — their over/under win total for 2025 is 5.5 — so if they struggle this fall, that would be a prime opportunity for Michigan to swoop back in.
However, with Michigan already having a solid three-man class locked in at the position, the Wolverines would otherwise very likely done recruiting wide receivers in this cycle should Russell stay true to his commitment to Syracuse.