Almost a month ago, I came on here and said that there was still work to do for Syracuse football to establish itself as a national contender.
That was right after Syracuse missed out on Messiah Hampton, New York’s top recruit in the class of 2026. Even though SU was one of his final three schools, losing out on Hampton felt like a sign that the Orange weren’t a national contender yet despite Fran Brown’s best efforts.
Throw all of that pessimism out the window.
On Saturday night, five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell committed to Syracuse, giving the program its first five-star recruit since 2000. Russell, the third-best wide receiver in the country and the 21st-ranked recruit in the class of 2026, pushes SU’s 2026 recruiting class into the top 20 in the nation.
Also ranked as the second-best recruit in the state of Florida, Russell chose the Orange over programs like Michigan, Oregon, and Florida State. Russell’s commitment is a major win considering what each of those programs has accomplished in the last couple of years, and adds to Brown’s already impressive resume.
When Brown was hired, he said that his ultimate goal was to win a national championship, which seemed improbable at the time. Heading into only his second year with Syracuse, Brown continues to defy expectations while moving toward that ultimate goal.
With respect to former head coach Dino Babers, Brown’s predecessor, Brown has already accomplished more in two years than Babers did across his eight years with the program. He’s managed to completely transform Syracuse football, turning a program that had suffered its fair share of embarrassing losses over the years into one of the top 25 in the country.
Even after a 10-win season in his first year with the Orange, there were expected to be some growing pains under Brown, which is natural when a new head coach comes in and tries to change the culture.
Instead, Syracuse is flying as high as it ever has under Brown after Russell’s commitment, and is well on its way to competing for a national championship.
