Class of 2026 WR Calvin Russell (FL) COMMITTED/SIGNED TO SYRACUSE (7/5/25)

[Ttk.gman2]

Okay, here's my take. If Calvin decides another school is a better fit, due to roster, coaching staff, NIL/revenue-share, location, etc., so be it. I wish him well. What I didn't like was him saying all fall that he was locked in with Syracuse, and his recruitment was done, etc. If you're unsure, just say you love Fran Brown, but don't say that other stuff. I get he's a kid, and I'm not bashing him, but I also thought his taking the mic at the signing ceremony at MN was a bad look. Takes away from the other kids who signed, including his teammate (TH), who signed with Syracuse. I hope Calvin sticks with Syracuse. Candidly, I'm kinda over the drama, though. WRs in the portal with more experience are fine by me...

I agree the drama is unnecessary, but this is happening everywhere. Ohio State is dealing with it with Chris Henry Jr., Oregon still hasn’t signed two 5-stars, LSU hasn’t signed Lamar Brown, Florida hasn’t signed CJ Hester, and Georgia is still waiting on Justice Fitzpatrick. This isn’t a “Syracuse problem” — this is what happens when you’re recruiting 5-stars and elite prospects. It’s the nature of the game now, so Calvin Russell isn’t some isolated incident. I do agree, though, he shouldn’t have tied all this into his signing day. He could’ve just made a post on social media. Instead, he took the spotlight away from everyone else in that room who was having one of the best days of their lives.

 

[Rufus_13th]

Not necessarily. Depends who is putting up the money.

Is there anything or anyone that stated this is the case?

 

[Ttk.gman2]

Steve wiltfong released an article today saying Michigan is expected to flip a big time WR today, but it is not Calvin! Maybe good news for Cuse?

I believe LSU is involved as well imo.

 

[AZOrange]

Let’s break it down.

At ND Angeli was a backup. His best moment came in the 2023 Sun Bowl when he threw three touchdowns against Oregon St., but outside of that he was a spot duty qb. He never won the starting job outright and that’s telling. He was seen as a capable fill in, not a program cornerstone. This year he was slated to be third string.

He put up big numbers early in just four games. But here’s the catch: the system inflated those stats. Nixon’s offense has consistently produced high passing yardage totals, regardless of who’s under center. Angeli's stats were also heavily inflated against weak opponents like Colgate and UConn.

The achilles tear is a devastating injury for any athlete, but especially for a qb who already lacked mobility. His rushing stats were brutal. 23 carries for -33 yards. He’s a pure pocket passer with negative rushing production meaning defenses don’t have to respect his legs at all. Combine that with the Achilles tear and you’re looking at a qb who could be even less mobile going forward.

There’s so may things off here it’s silly

 

[bnoro]

College Playoffs vs Penn St. You should watch what he did there

He was to by ND they where moving in a different direction with QBs and transfered. It happens alot in college football.

Sure the system can generate better numbers and if where just a system thing why did Collins and Co not have amazing numbers? You can't just put anyone back there and get McCord numbers.

Steve will prove it next year, he is the real deal.

He threw checkdowns and got them into field goal range. Let's not start this again.

At the end of the day I'd feel better about next year if we brought in someone to compete for the top job with Steve. Especially with him coming off an achilles. It's not like he's going to be ready for spring anyways

 

[RedtheGOB]

I haven't been following most of this thread.

Just my opinion this is just a money grab, simple as that. All the fluff to say him and his agent want to see how much Miami and Michigan are willing to throw at him and if Syracuse will get close to it.

I don't have a problem with it really, just what comes with the territory. All this spiraling ha.

 

[XC Cuse]

He threw checkdowns and got them into field goal range. Let's not start this again.

At the end of the day I'd feel better about next year if we brought in someone to compete for the top job with Steve. Especially with him coming off an achilles. It's not like he's going to be ready for spring anyways

H threw a nice slant, and some of 'checkdowns' were with pressure bearing down. The drive was solid, he managed the situation based on the game. It's silly to downplay, especially given the magnitude of the game and score.

If you want to say it wasn't a superstar drive, I agree, but he did well to manage the drive and make on time throws.

 

[richmondcuse03]

He threw checkdowns and got them into field goal range. Let's not start this again.

At the end of the day I'd feel better about next year if we brought in someone to compete for the top job with Steve. Especially with him coming off an achilles. It's not like he's going to be ready for spring anyways

It’s more that he has a feel for the game. He displayed it there. He’s shown already for us he can make the reads and throws we need him to make. He’s a great fit for our offense.

He is already throwing. And had the best doctor in the country do his surgery. I’ll take those chances any day.

 

[richmondcuse03]

Also folks should just enjoy being in the spotlight and wait for the end.

 

[bnoro]

It’s more that he has a feel for the game. He displayed it there. He’s shown already for us he can make the reads and throws we need him to make. He’s a great fit for our offense.

He is already throwing. And had the best doctor in the country do his surgery. I’ll take those chances any day.

So you're saying we're not bringing a 1A to compete with him?

 

[PAcuse]

He threw checkdowns and got them into field goal range. Let's not start this again.

At the end of the day I'd feel better about next year if we brought in someone to compete for the top job with Steve. Especially with him coming off an achilles. It's not like he's going to be ready for spring anyways

He got ND back into the game by getting them a FG and was able to do so on the biggest stage.
I was not saying he is the second coming of Montana.
He hanlded the game very well and got ND on the board vs. a top 10 defense, which Riley had struggled to do all game.
Yes let's BASH the kid because he made the correct reads to checkdown and get the ball moving.

We get it anything anyone says is wrong and you have the negative angle to show us!

 

[Dcuse]

He threw checkdowns and got them into field goal range. Let's not start this again.

At the end of the day I'd feel better about next year if we brought in someone to compete for the top job with Steve. Especially with him coming off an achilles. It's not like he's going to be ready for spring anyways

I'll always agree to bring in somebody to compete. This is how you get players to reach their full potential. But your 1st sentence...... I seriously question your knowledge of the game of football.

 

[richmondcuse03]

So you're saying we're not bringing a 1A to compete with him?

we will bring in capable guys who will compete and be able to push Steve / play if he can’t. Aka the opposite of this year.

But I’d wager a lot of money Steve is our QB in September. And I’m quite happy with that.

Also for what it’s worth Steve has gotten a lot of interest from other schools sniffing around who would gladly pay him to transfer there and be their QB.

 

[RF2044]

It’s more that he has a feel for the game. He displayed it there. He’s shown already for us he can make the reads and throws we need him to make. He’s a great fit for our offense.

He is already throwing. And had the best doctor in the country do his surgery. I’ll take those chances any day.

I completely understand the "full year" prognostications for recovery.

But you also have to understand that unlike normal people, who would undergo this type of procedure and then do PT once, maybe twice per week -- Angeli is in the trainer's room every day, working on strength and flexibility.

His game isn't predicated upon pure athleticism anyway, so he'll bounce back.

Hearing that he will be ready to participate in spring, in a non-contact capacity. Shows how much progress he's already made.

 

[richmondcuse03]

He got ND back into the game by getting them a FG and was able to do so on the biggest stage.
I was not saying he is the second coming of Montana.
He hanlded the game very well and got ND on the board vs. a top 10 defense, which Riley had struggled to do all game.
Yes let's BASH the kid because he made the correct reads to checkdown and get the ball moving.

We get it anything anyone says is wrong and you have the negative angle to show us!

And not for nothing but making the correct reads and accurate throws is…kind of a big deal after we’ve seen QBs who cannot do it. At all.

 

[Archbold44]

He got ND back into the game by getting them a FG and was able to do so on the biggest stage.
I was not saying he is the second coming of Montana.
He hanlded the game very well and got ND on the board vs. a top 10 defense, which Riley had struggled to do all game.
Yes let's BASH the kid because he made the correct reads to checkdown and get the ball moving.

We get it anything anyone says is wrong and you have the negative angle to show us!

Angeli looked good. He also threw about 10 passes that were batted down. I think it will be something that opposing teams DL are coached up to look for... if you can't get to the QB, knock his passes down. The other issue is health generally. He was hit hard against UConn and hurt earlier in the game against Clemson. Even if he had not torn the achilles, he might have missed time and/or been considerably less than 100% the rest of the season. With hindsight, Angeli at 50% was better than Collins and Angeli on the scooter would have been better than Filardi. Collins on the scooter might have been. So we need a much better QB#2 this year.

As for Russell, I could also see him having done Fran a favor by waiting until Friday. Everyone else is signed now, for the most part. We had a few flips, which is disappointing. We really need the money elsewhere. Seems like a win/win where Russell says great things about us, helps our class, ends up somewhere that will generate him a lot more money, and we end up having the money we need to go get a solid QB#2 to ensure that if 2026 goes off the rails, it will NOT be because of the QB position. Taking the hit on signing day would have hurt, but it will not be as bad if we have a few of these "we may lose him" days to lessen the blow before it actually happens. If he had done this on Sunday... it might have negatively impacted our class... more flips.

 

[mustacheovich]

And not for nothing but making the correct reads and accurate throws is…kind of a big deal after we’ve seen QBs who cannot do it. At all.

Absolutely, after what happened this season we're not in a position to downplay a QB who can move the ball into FG range. However, I do hope we can find a G5/High Tier FCS guy who can challenge Angeli better than Rickie did. The best we've seen from him so far was a great game against a 7-5 Clemson team.

 

[Jdono927]

He threw checkdowns and got them into field goal range. Let's not start this again.

At the end of the day I'd feel better about next year if we brought in someone to compete for the top job with Steve. Especially with him coming off an achilles. It's not like he's going to be ready for spring anyways

I don’t disagree given the severity of a torn achilles and the long-term impact it can have (something I think people in here really undersell). But (and this is a genuine question, I don’t have a clue) is it financially viable for us to do so, especially given the amount of holes we have on the roster? Given where we’re at as a program I struggle to see us being able to afford two QB1 types while also fixing both lines and whatever other holes we have.

Seems like going more along the route Richmond implied is necessary, even if we did want to shoot higher. The alternative would be to fully replace Angeli I guess, which I go back and forth on myself - but lean towards being against.

 

[SUforme]

L

 

[GoSU96]

H threw a nice slant, and some of 'checkdowns' were with pressure bearing down. The drive was solid, he managed the situation based on the game. It's silly to downplay, especially given the magnitude of the game and score.

If you want to say it wasn't a superstar drive, I agree, but he did well to manage the drive and make on time throws.

Pretty sure the plan is to portal in a couple of guys.

 

[XC Cuse]

Pretty sure the plan is to portal in a couple of guys.

Definitely need it for insurance, but if Steves the starter he will do well

 

[Archbold44]

Definitely need it for insurance, but if Steves the starter he will do well

I am sure Clemson, LSU, and South Carolina figured their otherwise healthy, Heisman candidate QBs were a sure thing. All fell WAY short of expectations. There is no such thing as a sure thing. Arch Manning is going to be watching the playoffs just like the rest of us. Michigan's uber-expensive QB will be doing the same thing. And so on...

 

[anomander]

Let’s break it down.

At ND Angeli was a backup. His best moment came in the 2023 Sun Bowl when he threw three touchdowns against Oregon St., but outside of that he was a spot duty qb. He never won the starting job outright and that’s telling. He was seen as a capable fill in, not a program cornerstone. This year he was slated to be third string.

He put up big numbers early in just four games. But here’s the catch: the system inflated those stats. Nixon’s offense has consistently produced high passing yardage totals, regardless of who’s under center. Angeli's stats were also heavily inflated against weak opponents like Colgate and UConn.

The achilles tear is a devastating injury for any athlete, but especially for a qb who already lacked mobility. His rushing stats were brutal. 23 carries for -33 yards. He’s a pure pocket passer with negative rushing production meaning defenses don’t have to respect his legs at all. Combine that with the Achilles tear and you’re looking at a qb who could be even less mobile going forward.

i don’t know. He was more than serviceable the first 3 games and then absolutely lights out at Clemson who has 2 or 3 early round picks on their defense. That right there is enough to have confidence in him being highly successful for another 2 years. I do have reservations about his ability to play next year at 100% and if he does how rusty he will be, but the kid proved he can play and is a leader. We definitely need to bring in another QB to compete with him. That W. Carolina QB would be ideal, but other than that i think that’s a bad take.

 

[richard levy]

My prediction is he stays just my own take.

some of these young men never want the process to end

 

[phsyra]

lanorris sellers and calvin russel...what could have been