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USA Today
11-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan's 2026 recruiting: Key battles for top talent intensify
At this point, Michigan football has the bulk of its 2026 class intact after a hot recruiting month of June and the start of July. Yes, the Wolverines missed out on two of their top targets this month with five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell choosing Syracuse and four-star offensive lineman John Turntine III committing to Texas. The fun of the past few weeks, where head coach Sherrone Moore would post a pair of eyeballs indicating a commitment was nigh, and that seeming to be an everyday occurrence, is now a thing of the past, as the number of remaining targets is dwindling. With that in mind, we have four top remaining targets on the board, a few lesser targets, as well as some strategy thoughts that may indicate more of what the class may look like down the line as we inch closer to signing day in December. Mineral (Va.) Louisa County five-star running back Savion Hiter Michigan's likely top overall target in 2026, the Wolverines have been after Hiter for over a year. The Wolverines continue to be in a solid spot for the top running back in the class, but are fending off primarily Tennessee, but also Ohio State and Georgia. Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh School four-star linebacker Nick Abrams II The Wolverines looked like exactly the type of school that would appeal to the elite linebacker, who officially visited in June. He had glowing remarks coming out of the visit, but the maize and blue had tailed off, with Abrams telling Rivals they were running fourth. With Abrams set to decide soon, will the Wolverines make a move? They're battling Alabama, Georgia, and Oregon. Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill four-star defensive tackle Deuce Geralds Primarily a Michigan vs. Oregon battle, the Wolverines did not look like the spot a month ago, and Ohio State appeared to have all the momentum. After a midweek visit before the final official visit weekend, the Wolverines surged, but might not have enough momentum to overtake the Ducks, who appear to be in pole position. Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian four-star cornerback Davon Benjamin Another Michigan-Oregon battle, little was said coming out of Benjamin's somewhat surprising official visit in May, but now the Wolverines might be the team to beat. It may be more likely that the maize and blue can win this one compared to Geralds, however the Ducks are in strong position for both. However, given the need for an elite cornerback who can play multiple positions, Michigan may push harder for Benjamin than Geralds -- considering that the defensive line group is already pretty great in 2026. Other options It's unclear when Moa is going to make a decision, as he had set a decision date, and it's come and gone. The Wolverines didn't put themselves in as good of a position as some others on the board, as Moa wants to play both wide receiver and cornerback at the next level. However, with Calvin Russell choosing Syracuse, does that perhaps open the door for the maize and blue? Forkpa has long been on Michigan's radar, but the Wolverines also went hard after some higher-rated options on the board who ended up choosing other schools. He's set to decide on Saturday, so the question is did Michigan do enough? Little is known about where the DT is leaning, but as Michigan has chased Deuce Geralds and garnered commitments from Titan Davis and Alister Vallejo, Boulware might feel a little squeezed out. While things might appear relatively set, recall that Michigan really bolstered its 2025 class late in the cycle last year. That's because the Wolverines are strong on senior season evaluations, which may lead to some targets who weren't on the radar earlier (look at signees such as wide receiver Jamar Browder and defensive tackle Benny Patterson) while they may also quietly work behind the scenes for a player they truly covet (like Bryce Underwood or Ty Haywood). It would stand to reason that the Wolverines will end up adding a player or two that they lost out on, while other targets not being talked about emerge later in the cycle.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
5-star WR shockingly picks Syracuse over Michigan football
The post 5-star WR shockingly picks Syracuse over Michigan football appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Michigan football team seemed like the favorite to land five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell on Saturday, but there were some tough competitors. Russell was also considering elite programs like Oregon, Miami and… Syracuse? The Orange certainly don't seem to fit in with the rest of the crowd, but they are the ones that landed the commitment. This is unfortunate miss for Sherrone Moore and Michigan, but their 2026 class is still in great shape. Advertisement 'BREAKING: Five-Star WR Calvin Russell has Committed to Syracuse, he tells me for @rivals,' Hayes Fawcett said in a post. 'The 6'5 200 WR chose the Orange over Michigan, Florida State, & Oregon. He's the highest-ranked recruit to commit to Syracuse in the past 20 years.' Calvin Russell had a quick message to share upon his commitment to Syracuse: 'FRAN BROWN!!!' He said. Russell is a five-star recruit, according to 247Sports. He is the #21 player in the 2026 recruiting class, the #3 WR and the #2 player in the state of Florida. Russell currently attends Northwestern High School in Miami, FL. Michigan, Miami and others recruited him hard, but Syracuse got the job done. Advertisement 'Hulking wide receiver with above-the-rim athleticism that makes him a uniquely dangerous target, especially down in the red zone,' Russell's scouting report reads. 'Owns more of a slender build, but has measured over 6-foot-5 multiple times and is blessed with a near 6-foot-10 wingspan. Isn't exactly the most polished route runner at this stage, but creates separation with unexpected suddenness for such a longer strider. Superb body control tends to create even more of a disadvantage for defensive backs as he wins 50-50 battles with timing and positioning.' Michigan needs elite WR talent, and Russell would've been the perfect addition. Unfortunately, it just wasn't the right fit. 'Not going to outrun every tackle, but is quick to hit the gas and can make some dynamic cuts in traffic,' the scouting report adds. 'Spent much of freshman and sophomore seasons repping as a run first-quarterback out of necessity before settling in as a must-look option in Year 3 for a storied Miami Northwestern program that captured a 3A championship. Will need to add some body armour to a rather wiry frame in hopes of improving play strength and buy into the process at the school of his choice, but should be viewed as a potential impact pass catcher for a College Football Playoff contender that can be positioned all around the field in hopes of creating mismatches. One of those good-at-everything athletes that could legitimately play two spots in college as he's also being recruited by basketball high majors.' Advertisement The good news for Michigan football fans is that the team is still on an incredible recruiting run right now, and this 2026 class is going to be one of the best in the country. Related: Insider reveals NIL move that won over Texas Tech's 5-star commit Related: Georgia football way-too-early bold predictions for 2025 season
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Four-star WR Calvin Russell snubs Michigan football for Syracuse
Michigan football's offense may look to take to the air more often under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsay in 2025 and 2026. But it will have to do so without a hoped-for piece, as four-star wide receiver Calvin Russell passed on the Wolverines' offer. Instead, Syracuse (and second-year coach Fran Brown) landed a commitment from Russell out of Northwestern High School in Miami on Saturday, July 5. Advertisement The 6-foot-5, 195-pound Russell had whittled his list down to Michigan, Florida State, Oregon and Syracuse before he pledged to the Orange. WR Calvin Russell reels in a pass during the second day of the OT7 Playoffs at St. Thomas Aquinas, June 28, 2025. SATURDAY'S EARLY COMMITMENT: Dorian Barney, four-star CB from Georgia, picks Michigan Russell is ranked No. 4 in Florida, the No. 5 wide receiver nationally and No. 47 overall in the class of 2026 per 247 Sports' composite rankings. "Hulking wide receiver with above-the-rim athleticism that makes him a uniquely dangerous target, especially down in the red zone," 247 Sports director of scouting Andrew Irvins wrote. "Superb body control tends to create even more of a disadvantage for defensive backs as he wins 50-50 battles with timing and positioning. Not going to outrun every tackle, but is quick to hit the gas and can make some dynamic cuts in traffic." Advertisement Even among FBS prospects, Russell is in the top tier in terms of athleticism. He helped Northwestern — coached by former Detroit Lions quarterback Teddy Bridgewater — take home the Florida Class 3A championship. Russell caught 39 passes for 704 yards (18.1 yards per catch) and 13 touchdowns, also rushing for a pair of touchdowns. In the title game, he caught four passes for 59 yards and two touchdowns. His mother, Chanivia Broussard, was a tremendous athlete in her own right, staring for Miami from 2000-04. She was inducted into the school's sports hall of fame and named an "ACC Basketball Legend" in 2011. Russell is a star in basketball, too. he averaged 21 points, seven rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.2 steals per game as a sophomore at Northwestern and led the program to a 20-3 mark during the most recent regular season. Russell had received an offer from Dusty May's U-M hoops program as well and said he hopes to be a dual-sport athlete in college, similar to Keon Coleman with Michigan State most recently. 4th OF JULY FIREWORKS: Travis Johnson, four-star WR from Virginia, picks U-M Miami Northwestern's Calvin Russell Jr. takes a selfie with his state medal after his team won the Class 3A championship against Raines on Dec. 14, 2024. Russell took an official visit to Ann Arbor on June 20, where not only May, but top 2025 commit Bryce Underwood did his best to help seal the deal. Advertisement "I see it as more of like the best players want to play with the best players," Underwood told the Free Press in June. "I'm blessed to be part of the people they say are the 'best players' so just the hard work I've been putting in." The Wolverines have been racking up the commitments in one of the program's biggest hot stretches. They entered Saturday night with 20 commits in a 2026 class which had leapt to No. 9 nationally (and third in the Big Ten) before Russell's choice of Syracuse. Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@ and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Calvin Russell, four-star WR from Florida, snubs Michigan football
USA Today
06-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
5-star WR Calvin Russell announces college commitment
As is always the case in the world of college football, the 4th of July holiday weekend is stacked with commitments of top-ranked players in the nation. We saw several 5-star players announce their commitments ealier in the week, and that continued on Saturday with the announcement fro 5-star WR Calvin Russell. While the Oregon Ducks were among the top schools for Russell, the No. 21 player and No. 3 WR in the class, per 247 Sports, they ultimately were unable to land him. On Saturday night, Russell announced his commitment to the Syracuse Orange. Russell took an official visit to Oregon in June and had the Ducks among his top schools. Still, the Ducks weren't a strong contender late in his recruitment as Syracuse and Michigan got into a bidding war over the top-tier prospect. Meanwhile, the Ducks — who landed 4-star WR Messiah Hampton last month — are considered the favorite to land 4-star WR Jalen Lott when he announces his commitment in a few days. Following the recent surge in commitments, Oregon now boasts the No. 10 class in the 2026 cycle and is likely to improve it further with a few more commitments on the horizon. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
Miami Herald
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Live updates: Big day of recruiting news begins with Canes commitment from standout corner
At least three major announcements involving Miami Hurricanes recruiting targets are coming today, with UM so far landing one player, hoping to land another (four-star Georiga-based defensive lineman Bryce-Perry Wright, who will pick among Clemson, UM, Texas and Texas A&M at 5 p.m. EST and five-star Miami Northwestern receiver Calvin Russell, who is reportedly set to pick Michigan or Syracuse at 9 p.m., per We've launched a live blog, and keep checking back for updates: 1:35 pm news: Four-star cornerback Brody Jennings flipped his commitment from Michigan to Miami. Florida, Auburn and FSU also pursued him. The 6-1 cornerback from Mandarin High in Jacksonville had been committed to Michigan since last year. 247 Sports ranks him the 24th cornerback and 277th best player in the 2026 class. ranks him the 29th best cornerback. He joins Charlotte-based Camdin Portis, Georgia-based Jonatavious Wyman and Seffner Armwood's Jaelan Water's as 2026 UM cornerback commitments. He's UM's 19th commitment in a class that's rated sixth by 247 Sports.
