Top Florida High School WR Prospect Finally Makes Commitment Official

One of the top wide receiver prospects in the country ended any speculation that he was looking elsewhere by signing with Syracuse University on Thursday.

A day removed from the start of national signing day, Calvin Russell from Miami Northwestern High School put his name on the dotted line with the Orange and head coach Fran Brown.

The 6-foot-5 Russell committed to Syracuse this past July, but opted not to sign on Wednesday as speculation grew that Miami and Michigan were both trying to flip him away from the Orange.

Justin Giangrande, the manager for Russell, posted on social media that he “needed more time to pray” before making a final decision and that he wanted to “make sure he is 100 percent certain with this decision before signing.”

That came on Thursday when he became the 25th member of the Class of 2026 for Syracuse during the early signing period to commit.

Regarded as the No. 2 overall player in the state of Florida by 247Sports, Russell holds 52 offers to play college football. He is the No. 2 wide receiver in the Class of 2026 and the 23rd-ranked player overall in the country.

In nine games reported to MaxPreps this past season, Russell caught 32 passes for 517 yards with seven receiving touchdowns. He also completed 15 of 19 passes for 368 yards and four passing touchdowns.

As a junior, Russell helped the Bulls to a Class 3A Florida high school football state championship under NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, catching 39 passes for 704 yards and 13 touchdowns.

During his sophomore season, Russell saw time at quarterback, with a big rushing game of 144 yards against Miami Central.

As a freshman, Russell hit the field for Miami Northwestern, playing both wide receiver and quarterback. He had seven catches for 91 yards, threw for 217 with a TD and ran 23 times for 160 yards with another score.

Russell’s mom, Chanlvia Broussard, was a standout basketball player at the University of Miami. She was inducted into the school’s hall of fame.

According to 247Sports, Russell has offers to play basketball from several schools including Michigan, Illinois, LSU, Arizona State, Penn State, Florida Atlantic and Tulane.

Miami Northwestern will play Bishop Moore on Friday night in the Class 3A Florida high school football playoffs semifinals. The winner meets either Raines or Booker for the state championship later this month.