The Syracuse Orange football squad will finish spring practice this week, and while we won’t see top recruit Calvin Russell in Saturday’s spring game, he might not be out as long as everyone anticipated.
Last week after practice, Fran Brown
followed up on this report and shared that Russell’s expected to return to the Orange sometime in 2026.
It might seem like wishful thinking, but when you think about Russell’s trajectory as a player, it doesn’t make sense not to play him once he’s cleared to return. If he’s as good as advertised, he’s not going to be a four or five year player so you’re not “wasting” a year if he can come back and help the Orange return to a bowl game.
If Russell’s return is delayed until later in November, then you can utilize the redshirt opportunity that comes with football’s rules. Certainly it’s too early to know if Russell will truly be ready to go in October, but he came to Syracuse to make an impact and if Fran Brown wants to keep him motivated through a difficult rehab, it’s not something fans should worry too much about right now.
