College Football Insider Reveals How Syracuse Snagged 5-Star WR From Michigan

College Football Insider Reveals How Syracuse Snagged 5-Star WR From Michigan originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Michigan Wolverines have already put together an impressive 2026 recruiting class with 21 commitments, but one player they recently lost out on was wide receiver Calvin Russell, who on Saturday committed to Syracuse.

It came as a shock to many with the Wolverines appeared to be true front-runners, as On3's Stephen Wagner even logged an expert prediction for him to choose Michigan.

Of course, in the age of NIL, it wouldn't be surprising to learn that the Orange him more money, but in a video posted to the "Rivals" YouTube channel, Steve Wiltfong revealed what really brought Russell to Syracuse.

“I think this was comparable offers that Michigan and Syracuse had…This was an old school recruiting win for Syracuse, in the sense that nobody recruited him harder and connected with him and his family more than Fran Brown and company,” Wiltfong said. 

"He was going to Michigan, they had a press release embargoed..."@SWiltfong_ explains how Syracuse and Fran Brown was able to SHOCK the recruiting world and beat Michigan for 5⭐️ WR Calvin Russel 🍊

MORE: https://t.co/u6s4m9nmBcpic.twitter.com/5bM2sl7gnM

— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) July 8, 2025

It's, of course, a huge win for Syracuse, as 247Sports places Russell as a five-star recruit, the No. 3 wide receiver, the No. 2 player in Florida and the No. 21 player in the nation.

What makes this even more special is that he becomes just the third five-star commit for Syracuse since 2000, joining quarterback Cecil Howard (class of 2001) and wide receiver Johnnie Morant (class of 2000).

It's also clear that Brown and the Orange were also very present throughout the long recruiting process, hosting Russell for two unofficial visits on March 23, 2024 and April 12, 2025.

Now, they will look to continue to build on their 2026 recruiting class, which features a total of 26 commitments, ranking No. 6 in the ACC and No. 21 in the nation, per 247Sports.

Related: Oregon Receives Clear Message From Nation's No. 2 Recruit After Visit

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.