Michigan football seemed poised to land five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell on Saturday night, before getting punched in the gut by Syracuse.
The Orange surely spent a hefty amount of money on Russell, just like Michigan would have if he committed to the Wolverines. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound receiver was ranked 32nd overall in the 2026 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, after all.
He was always going to get paid. This probably had a lot to do with Fran Brown. Probably even more to do with that. Relationships are important in recruiting.
In the bigger picture, it doesn't really matter why. Michigan did a good job of recruiting Russell. It beat Miami and LSU in the race for him, not something many would have expected back in May.
Syracuse just won out. Here are three thoughts on what's next for Michigan football.
No need to panic
The coaching staff isn't going to panic, and they shouldn't. You win some and you lose some. That's just the way of recruiting. The next move is what matters now.
Russell has tremendous potential. But Michigan football had two wide receiver commitments ranked in the top 144 overall of the 247 Sports composite rankings. Zion Robinson is 6-foot-4 and ranked No. 132 overall. Travis Johnson who committed earlier this week, is 6-foot-3, 185. He's ranked No. 144 overall.
When you add those guys to Andrew Marsh and Jacob Washington of the 2025 class, Michigan football has four top-200 receivers signed or committed in the past two classes, not to mention Matt Ludwig, a dynamic weapon at tight end ranked No. 160 overall in 2026.
Russell would have been nice. But he also wasn't desperately needed.