The opening of the 2025 season has been a tough one for Syracuse Orange head coach Fran Brown. Courtesy? The NIL, of course. As we all must have been aware how redshirt senior and wide receiver Trebor Pena was the pride of Syracuse but it did not take Brown long to pull the brakes on his star player. That’s because Pena was looking for a fatter NIL check, which came off as an undue demand for Brown. 

However, the Syracuse head coach is now trying to move on from the 2025 trauma. And what better way to do it than striding on the 2026 recruiting trail? Looks like the universe has heard Brown’s prayers. July 5 came with some good news as Syracuse locked in their 5-star wide receiver target, Calvin Russell.

On July 5, Rivals analyst Marcus Benjamin posted a clip of Russell celebrating his commitment to Brown’s squad. And with this, Brown landed the biggest blow for Michigan, Florida State, and Oregon. After all, the 6-foot-5, 195-pounder has been one of the most hailed recruits of the 2026 class. As 247 Sports director of scouting, Andrew Irvins wrote, “Hulking wide receiver with above-the-rim athleticism that makes him a uniquely dangerous target, especially down in the red zone. Superb body control tends to create even more of a disadvantage for defensive backs as he wins 50-50 battles with timing and positioning.” Well, Brown’s Syracuse might not be doing well as they stand at No.35 on the 2026 recruiting trail with 26 recruits. But so what?

They have now locked in their first 5-star of the 2026 class with Russell. If that’s not enough reason for celebration, here comes some more. Another Rivals analyst, John Garcia Jr., highlighted how unexpectedly Brown caught the big fish. “Quick notes beyond the obvious with Calvin Russell to ‘Cuse: 1. SU wins without earning an official visit (he did visit four times unofficially over last 13 months) 2. Told Rivals his finalists on Sunday were Michigan, Oregon, Florida State. 3. Leaves the door open for in-season OV as other programs burned theirs.” June has been too busy for Russell to take an official visit to Syracuse. Now, that Brown and co. came off as a dark horse in the Russell race, how are they going to benefit from this commitment?

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. Talking about his stats? Flawless. Brown’s latest recruit caught 39 passes for 704 yards (18.05 yards per catch) and 13 touchdowns. But there is much beyond football. As Russell hopes to be a dual-sport athlete in college. His forte in basketball led him to average 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. While Brown throws a party for this big win, he has yet to prove a lot in Syracuse. 

How heartbreaking rejections fueled Fran Brown’s rise

There was a time when no one was ready to offer Brown the head coaching seat. He counted on Temple, Syracuse, and Rutgers. And here came the heartbreaking confession. “Temple didn’t want to give me a job. They said I wasn’t a good enough coach. I didn’t have good enough experience. And they went with someone else that didn’t have experience as a coach instead of myself, and that hurt. Like I cried when I didn’t get the job. The second time it was extremely embarrassing. Because, first they put out that I was getting a job, and then it comes, I’m not.” All these turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

While all the doors closed, one door opened. Brown served two seasons as the defensive backs coach at the University of Georgia from 2022 to 2023. After that, he had taken up the risky job of coaching Orange, who got rid of their head coach, Dino Babers, after eight long seasons. And the mess that Babers left in Syracuse was a tough task for Brown to clean up. Syracuse had a devastating 22-31 loss to Georgia Tech, wrapping up the 2023 season with a 6-7 overall record. And turned out that Brown waved a magic wand.

In their 2024 season, the new head coach led Syracuse to warp the program with a 10-3 overall record. Now, what has worked in Fran Brown’s favor? His strict adherence to discipline. Distractions are a big no-no for his players. Offensive tackle Byron Washington and defensive back Demetres Samuel Jr. gave a glimpse of the Orange squad’s culture. Samuel Jr. shared, “We get fines for missing morning, two absences in class. We got class checkers. If you don’t have your jug or your tablet.” Let’s see if Brown continues with his success or attracts the Dino Babers’ curse.