After a day of uncomfortable uncertainty, the Syracuse football program has officially landed superstar recruit Calvin Russell, a wide receiver out of Florida. Russell was supposed to sign on Wednesday as part of National Signing Day, but took extra time to think about the decision, leading some to speculate that he wouldn't end up in Central New York at all.

Per Chris Carlson of Syracuse.com:

Syracuse officially lands the plane on the crown jewel of its recruiting class and the highest-ranked football signee in decades. Calvin Russell is a Top 100 recruit and 4-star, listed as high as No. 23 in the country in some places.

About Russell

One of the top receiver recruits in the country, Russell is also expected to play college basketball. CBS News reported in August that he had 55 scholarship offers for football and 13 more for basketball. 

He's 6-feet-5-inches tall and despite what Carlson's post says, he's actually a five-star recruit. The Palm Beach Post says he's the third-highest rated recruit in SU history.

He's caught 32 passes for 517 yards and seven touchdowns through nine games this season. Miami Northwestern will take on Bishop Moore for a spot in the Class 3A State Championship this Friday, Dec. 5, as noted by the outlet.

Impact on SU football 

The Orange went 3-9 this past season, but the season was derailed when quarterback Steve Angeli was hurt in Week 4. With him back in the fold for 2026, and Russell in the pass-catching mix, the hope is that the offense will look much better next season.

Impact on SU basketball 

If Russell officially ends up playing basketball for head coach Adrian Autry, he will mark another player of the long and lanky body type. Syracuse (5-3) has William Kyle III, Donnie Freeman, Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White who all fit that physique right now, allowing the Orange to play an aggressive and athletic style of play.

His inclusion in the roster could be important given that Kyle will graduate after the season. There's also no guarantee that Freeman, Anthony and White return next season, either because of the NBA Draft or the transfer portal, so it's important to keep the stream of talent flowing.

Also on campus

The Orange women's basketball team moved to 7-1 on Wednesday by beating Auburn in the ACC-SEC Challenge. Dominique Darius led the way with 20 points while Uche Izoje had 16 and Laila Phelia had 14. 

The Orange men's basketball team is now 5-3 after beating No. 13 Tennessee on Tuesday night, and they'll be off until Dec. 11 when they play against St. Joseph's at the JMA Wireless Dome. We'll have on-site coverage of that game.

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