As the night went on, it felt like Calvin Russell was going to spurn Michigan football, which is exactly what happened in a gut punch for the Wolverines.
The 6-foot-5, 195-pound wide receiver out of Miami, Florida, ended up committing to Syracuse, where he will play football and basketball for the Orange. He had the chance to do the same at Michigan.
However, the relationship with Fran Brown proved to be difficult to beat. Syracuse might have had a better money offer, too, as the Orange were throwing football and basketball money at the elite, two-way athlete.
It's hard to blame them. Russell is a game-changing athlete. He's ranked No. 47 overall, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. He's also ranked as a five-star by 247 Sports and the On3 Industry rankings.
Losing Calvin Russell is a gut punch for Michigan football recruiting
He would have been an ideal cherry on top of this recruiting class, even better than Savion Hiter. But, Michigan missed on the game-changing receiver on the final day. Syracuse did have a top-25 team last season and put up some big passing numbers with Kyle McCord at quarterback.
But Michigan is expected to compete for national titles in both sports. That choice would have made sense, but recruiting doesn't always make sense.
Michigan did everything it could. It did well in this recruitment. Most didn't think the Wolverines would get this close to the top. The current wide receiver class also features two, top-150 commitments.
Zion Robinson has first-round potential. Travis Johnson also has a bright future. The Wolverines have landed four receivers ranked in the top 200 of the 247 Sports composite rankings the past two classes.
Yet, Russell would have been different. At some point, Michigan needs to get a receiver like that, and it needs to happen while Bryce Underwood is the quarterback.