Well this is an interesting twist. According to On3/Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong, 5-star WR Calvin Russell had a press release embargoed detailing his commitment to Michigan before actually choosing Syracuse last Saturday night:
Recruiting is wild, man.
According to a new report from Steve Wiltfong from On3 (Rivals? I don’t know what to call it anymore), the Michigan Wolverines had strong reason to believe that 2026 five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell was set to play his college ball in Ann Arbor. In fact, he and his team had an embargoed press release with details about his commitment to Michigan.
This, of course, was killed following his commitment to Syracuse last Saturday night.
Here is what Wiltfong had to say , in part, about the situation:
“There were times I thought Michigan had the edge going into the decision. And look, I even read a statement from his agency where he was going to Michigan. They had a press released embargoed (that) this young man was going to Michigan. But when he made his final decision, he went with Syracuse.”
Additionally, Wiltfong went onto say that Michigan was not beat in the NIL space by Syracuse and that both offers he received were comparable. He called it an “old school recruiting win” for the Orange, considering the close relationship he has with head coach Fran Brown, which was seemingly one of the main reasons he sided with Syracuse.
It isn’t known if Russell changed his mind the day of his announcement — or even in the minutes leading up to it — or if he just wanted to shock the world. But the fact of the matter is the Wolverines thought they had a legitimate chance with Russell right up until he made his commitment to Syracuse.
At the end of the day, we’ll never truly know what happened. All you can do if you’re Sherrone Moore and company is continue recruiting him until signing day in December. And if he chooses to sign with Syracuse, you can always knock on the door when/if he ever enters the transfer portal — you just never know in this day and age when you may be reacquainted with a former target on the recruiting trail.
Thankfully, the Wolverines have commitments from three solid wide receiver prospects in the 2026 class in four-stars Zion Robinson and Travis Johnson, as well as three-star Jaylen Pile. Adding Russell would have been the cherry on top for Michigan, so losing out on him isn’t as tough as it would’ve been had Robinson and/or Johnson picked other schools to commit to.