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

[oldpinepoint]

My post doesn't come from Left field

Right field?

 

[kcsu]

Right field?

Center

 

[sufandu]

I believe in the "spirit" of the rule, it was supposed to be a kid could get a brand deal because of his high school prowess.

If a kid at CBA wanted to accept a brand deal from Billy Fucillo to advertise his cars because he had 1m social media followers, he could sign that deal.

Once he got to college, they could then take deals from brands around their college performance, as well as a collective.

But originally discussing any NIL with collectives in the recruiting process/before enrollment was supposed to not be allowed, because you could use those pitches to get a kid to your school and then renege on the agreement.

The spirit of the rule is that there is no connection to the college at all. The deals come as a result of the player's own celebrity. So it makes no sense that any player would have to wait to enroll at a school or be connected to one in any way.

Having said that, it has never been what it was intended. As anyone with a brain could predict, it immediately morphed into something else. So who cares if it's not what it was supposed to be. It never really was.

 

[wfschrec]

Hughes, Bordinaux?

Neither ... although rumors swirl about Hughes.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[JeffCuse]

Apparently, according to Axe, there was an embargoed press release ready to deploy announcing Russell to Michigan. As someone who does this all the time, this means someone in the Russell PR team sent this release to media a few hours or so before and said "this can go live at, say, 9pm ET". But Brown worked the phones till the very last minute and then they had to pull back the release.

You don't send an embargoed release out unless you are SURE so there was an almost unfathomable amount of late movement here.

 

[oldpinepoint]

Apparently, according to Axe, there was an embargoed press release ready to deploy announcing Russell to Michigan. As someone who does this all the time, this means someone in the Russell PR team sent this release to media a few hours or so before and said "this can go live at, say, 9pm ET". But Brown worked the phones till the very last minute and then they had to pull back the release.

You don't send an embargoed release out unless you are SURE so there was an almost unfathomable amount of late movement here.

I heard this narrative from tom Loy at 247. The insiders at Michigan said it was crap. There were a lot of people saying Michigan but then would say but Cuse still leads. Michigan insiders always said Cuse was in the lead but Michigan had gained ground. Narrative I had heard was that Cuse was the choice early on and that HCFB wanted CR to take his visits and keep the noise surrounding his commitment to be loud and all over the place. I also take what Axe says with a grain of salt.

 

[Consigliere]

I heard this narrative from tom Loy at 247. The insiders at Michigan said it was crap. There were a lot of people saying Michigan but then would say but Cuse still leads. Michigan insiders always said Cuse was in the lead but Michigan had gained ground. Narrative I had heard was that Cuse was the choice early on and that HCFB wanted CR to take his visits and keep the noise surrounding his commitment to be loud and all over the place. I also take what Axe says with a grain of salt.

Axe was reportedly quoting Wiltfong and sent as part of his paid insider text service. Don’t see anything with a Quick Look at Wilfong’s X account.
Also possible that a mirrored release was sent to all four finalists.

 

[OburgCuse]

Latest on 5-star Recruits, Announcement Predictions | UGA, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon

Podcast Episode · Wiltfong Whiparound: College Football Recruiting and Transfer Portal Podcast · 07/08/2025 · 35m

podcasts.apple.com

Link to Wiltfong’s latest podcast that discusses Russell situation. Good listen

 

[JeffCuse]

Axe was reportedly quoting Wiltfong and sent as part of his paid insider text service. Don’t see anything with a Quick Look at Wilfong’s X account.
Also possible that a mirrored release was sent to all four finalists.

That would be super dangerous for any PR person to do.

 

[SU94]

Hey Michigan:
Revenge is best served COLD. Remember Henniger's Marquis Walker?
Fran didn't forget.

 

[tep624]

Axe was reportedly quoting Wiltfong and sent as part of his paid insider text service. Don’t see anything with a Quick Look at Wilfong’s X account.
Also possible that a mirrored release was sent to all four finalists.

An embargoed press release would give the media talking heads an out if they were wrong right?

I think the biggest issue I had with the media here were that the Michigan insiders were pretty consistent in saying we were in the top 2 or in the lead while all the recruiting “experts” kept pumping out social media narratives where we weren’t even in the picture for obvious non-objective reasons. Hell Calvin Russel’s Rivals profile still doesn’t even shown him with a Syracuse offer let alone committing to us 5 days after the fact.

 

[richmondcuse03]

Apparently, according to Axe, there was an embargoed press release ready to deploy announcing Russell to Michigan. As someone who does this all the time, this means someone in the Russell PR team sent this release to media a few hours or so before and said "this can go live at, say, 9pm ET". But Brown worked the phones till the very last minute and then they had to pull back the release.

You don't send an embargoed release out unless you are SURE so there was an almost unfathomable amount of late movement here.

This is patently false.

 

[richmondcuse03]

I heard this narrative from tom Loy at 247. The insiders at Michigan said it was crap. There were a lot of people saying Michigan but then would say but Cuse still leads. Michigan insiders always said Cuse was in the lead but Michigan had gained ground. Narrative I had heard was that Cuse was the choice early on and that HCFB wanted CR to take his visits and keep the noise surrounding his commitment to be loud and all over the place. I also take what Axe says with a grain of salt.

Sounds like they're spinning a lame excuse to their subscribers, and Axe is foolishly repeating it. If he had folks to talk to in the program, he'd quickly find out the info is wrong. And him just repeating other proprietary info is a lame way to charge folks for a text service.

 

[Qbobby]

Hey Michigan:
Revenge is best served COLD. Remember Henniger's Marquis Walker?
Fran didn't forget.

 

[oldpinepoint]

Sounds like they're spinning a lame excuse to their subscribers, and Axe is foolishly repeating it. If he had folks to talk to in the program, he'd quickly find out the info is wrong. And him just repeating other proprietary info is a lame way to charge folks for a text service.

Agreed, to the credit of the Michigan insiders they called out the national guys saying their info was wrong. I think the national guys were clearly trying to spin the narrative to the subscribers.

 

[Sudano]

Apparently, according to Axe, there was an embargoed press release ready to deploy announcing Russell to Michigan. As someone who does this all the time, this means someone in the Russell PR team sent this release to media a few hours or so before and said "this can go live at, say, 9pm ET". But Brown worked the phones till the very last minute and then they had to pull back the release.

You don't send an embargoed release out unless you are SURE so there was an almost unfathomable amount of late movement here.

If that's true and it was that razor thin, this leads me to believe this isn't over until signing day.
Which in this new day of recruiting is obvious for virtually all recruits that have verballed.

 

[SanDiegoCuse]

Signed, sealed, delivered.

 

[JRHEETER]

Apparently, according to Axe, there was an embargoed press release ready to deploy announcing Russell to Michigan. As someone who does this all the time, this means someone in the Russell PR team sent this release to media a few hours or so before and said "this can go live at, say, 9pm ET". But Brown worked the phones till the very last minute and then they had to pull back the release.

You don't send an embargoed release out unless you are SURE so there was an almost unfathomable amount of late movement here.

I think Michigan thought it had more of a chance there.

I can assure this was a done deal to Cuse for a significant amount of time.

 

[JRHEETER]

Sounds like they're spinning a lame excuse to their subscribers, and Axe is foolishly repeating it. If he had folks to talk to in the program, he'd quickly find out the info is wrong. And him just repeating other proprietary info is a lame way to charge folks for a text service.

Yup, Axe has been behind the ball lately on a lot of things. He was even texting to his subscribers that on July 1st he did not think Cuse had a chance on Russell.

Axe has NO inside information from what I can tell and just takes info that he is seeing from other reporters etc.

I will continue on his service because I like what he sends most of the time.

 

[clayman32]

Hughes, Bordinaux?

Huell Babineaux?

 

[JeffCuse]

Huell Babineaux?

Dude, I am doing a rewatch of Breaking Bad with my son (its his first time). Last night? The greatest episode in the history of television, Ozymandias, where Huell thought for a split second Walt was going to kill him lol

 

[orangefog]

Dude, I am doing a rewatch of Breaking Bad with my son (its his first time). Last night? The greatest episode in the history of television, Ozymandias, where Huell thought for a split second Walt was going to kill him lol

Well, I am willing to bet there are quite a few I Love Lucy's that top it.

 

[Bulldog04]

Yup, Axe has been behind the ball lately on a lot of things. He was even texting to his subscribers that on July 1st he did not think Cuse had a chance on Russell.

Axe has NO inside information from what I can tell and just takes info that he is seeing from other reporters etc.

I will continue on his service because I like what he sends most of the time.

The guy is a scrub. I don’t think he’s very good at anything he does. He’s kind of a jerk. What else can I add lol I do not care for him at all

 

[orangefog]

The guy is a scrub. I don’t think he’s very good at anything he does. He’s kind of a jerk. What else can I add lol I do not care for him at all