Fran Brown is working wonders after landing blue-chip WR recruit (what they’re saying)

Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse football coach Fran Brown made his biggest recruiting splash yet when blue-chip wide receiver prospect Calvin Russell said he intends to sign with the Orange.

Russell, rated as a five-star prospect by some scouting services, signifies a potential paradigm shift for the Orange’s recruiting under Brown, who beat out Michigan and other well-funded programs to add Russell to the 2026 class.

Russell, who is repped by the same marketing agency as Brown, is a consensus top-five receiver nationally. He’s is in line to be the highest-ranked receiver to sign with Syracuse since Johnnie Morant in 2000.

Entering his second season, Brown has made it a habit of turning back the clock to deliver a feeling of nostalgia to the SU fan base.

He brought in a blue-chip quarterback from Ohio State last fall who helped launch the team to a 10-win season and rewrote the school and ACC record book.

Ten players off last year’s team that were drafted or signed to NFL rosters will soon report to training camp later this month.

Russell’s commitment is another momentous mile-marker in Brown’s early tenure, and it had the celebration to match it.

Strobe lights danced across the floor at Russell’s birthday party in Miami on Saturday night when he publicized his college choice in a crowded venue of family and supporters, including his agent and Darian Johnson, a freshman receiver for the Orange who played with Russell at Miami Northwestern High School.

Syracuse general manager Tommy Caporale, hired by Brown last year to tap into Florida’s fertile recruiting region, lit a victory cigar and posted a photo as the news spread nationally.

Here’s a look what the buzz on social media following Russell’s commitment: