By any available metric, Fran Brown’s first season as the head coach of the Syracuse football program was a tremendous success. The Orange finished the season with a 10-3 record and were victorious in the Holiday Bowl, making the 2024 campaign only their third season this century with at least ten victories and a bowl win. And while the 2025 season is expected to be something of a down season for Syracuse, there’s no way around it… Brown may be building an up-and-coming powerhouse in the ACC.
Further proof of this is what Fran Brown and co. have been doing on the recruiting trail, bringing in some of the most stacked classes that the Syracuse football program has ever seen. And over 4th of July weekend, Brown landed his biggest recruit yet: four-star wide receiver Calvin Russell, the No. 28 recruit in the 2026 class according to ESPN.
Of course, nothing is set in stone yet. Russell could very easily change his mind and re-open his recruitment between now and next summer, but if the 6-foot-6 wide receiver does end up playing for the Orange next season, he would be the highest-ranked recruit in program history.
But Calvin Russell’s exposure at Syracuse University may not just be limited to the football field. A standout on the hardwood, Russell is expected to compete for a spot for the Orange basketball team as well. ESPN’s Eli Lederman notes that Russell averaged 21 points and 7 rebounds per game last season at Miami Northwestern High School.
On the gridiron, though, there are no questions about whether Calvin Russell has what it takes to be a standout. During his junior season, Russell caught 39 passes for 704 yards and 13 touchdowns. As a result, programs all around the country – including Michigan, Florida State, Oregon, LSU and Alabama – were interested in the big-bodied downfield target.
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