Recruiting insider drops bombshell on 5-star WR Calvin Russell's Michigan snub following $4.3 million Syracuse commitment

Before five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell committed to Syracuse on Saturday, many expected him to pick Michigan. On3 also projected a 71.9% chance that the Wolverines would land him.

On Tuesday, On3’s Steve Wiltfong shared that he even saw a statement from Russell’s agency indicating he was headed to Michigan and had prepared a press release before Russell ultimately chose Syracuse. Wiltfong noted that both the Wolverines and the Orange made similar NIL offers to Russell.

"And Michigan, they are tough to beat for a program from an NIL standpoint when you are amongst their top players on the board like Calvin Russell was," Wiltfong said. "I think Michigan gave him a great opportunity off the field."

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According to Russell’s agent, Justin Giangrande, he will join Syracuse on a three-year, $4.3 million deal. However, Wiltfong reported that it was Fran Brown and his staff’s relentless recruiting that made the difference for Syracuse.

"Nobody recruited him harder and connected with him and his family more than Fran Brown and company while also showing a program on the rise with an exciting offense.

"Almost every coach on staff down there in the spring, basketball staff invested, they poured into the personal side of that recruitment, and I think that's what won out for Calvin Russell as much as anything."

Russell now becomes just the third five-star recruit to commit to Syracuse since 2000, joining quarterback Cecil Howard and wide receiver Johnnie Morant.

Calvin Russell shares why he chose Syracuse over Michigan

Michigan signed five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood in the 2025 class, and Calvin Russell could be a big support for him on offense. His surprise commitment to Syracuse was a big recruiting blow for the Wolverines in the 2026 cycle.

In an interview with Rivals, Russell shared why he ditched Sherrone Moore's program in favor of Fran Brown's program.

“I’m not going to lie, I made [my decision] a couple of days ago. Michigan came close, but Coach Fran, the individual he is, how he was raised, I feel it. How he carries himself, the men I was raised around are similar to him, that’s why I want to be there.”

Michigan has three wide receiver commits in the 2026 class: Zion Robinson, Travis Johnson and Jaylen Pile. The Wolverines have a total of 21 committed players in the cycle, ranking No. 9 in the nation.

About the author

Maliha is a High School Sports news and listicles writer at Sportskeeda. A post graduate in Management Information Systems, it was her love for writing and sports which led her down the path of sports content creation. An experienced NBA and NFL writer, she covered the two sports extensively at SportsZion and SportsKnot before joining SportsKeeda.

Maliha is a huge Baltimore Ravens fan and is in awe of quarterback Lamar Jackson's dual-threat abilities. She also admires Tom Brady and her all-time favorite coach is 3-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid. She is a big advocate of high school sports and believes that elite athletes reach a top level owing to the discipline, hard work, team dynamics, resilience, adaptability and self-confidence learnt by playing sports in high schools. Aaron Rodgers leading the Green Bay Packers to victory on his debut against the Minnesota Vikings is one of her fondest NFL memories.

Maliha places a high emphasis on accuracy in her content. She does thorough research, always double checks facts, and only uses information from most relevant and credible sources for her articles. When not writing, she likes to read history and biographical books.

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Edited by Nadim El Kak