One of the most physically impressive playmakers in the 2026 recruiting class has set a date for his committment this coming July. Four-star receiver Calvin Russell, standing 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds, will be making his announcement on July 5 after the holiday. 

On Thursday, Russell made his final eight teams known, with Oregon featured in the group. He also highlighted Florida, LSU, Miami, Florida State, Michigan, North Carolina, and Syracuse.

While some of these teams aren't quite like the others, the class' fourth-ranked receiver and Florida native could be the latest high-end recruit to depart the state and leave other programs in some level of shock. Oregon wouldn't be a shocking outcome, but coming to Eugene would be a big change.

Does Oregon's inclusion mean they're a contender, or are they just a pretender?

Blake Alderman of On3 has Oregon as a contender for the elite four-star playmaker. He also ranked all of the other teams listed in either category.

We mentioned NIL is a major focus for Calvin Russell as he goes through the recruiting process. With Nike co-founder Phil Knight’s help, Oregon can make flashy NIL deals to help secure commitments. Despite the distance between South Florida and Eugene (OR), Russell has visited Oregon twice, including an unofficial visit last month. We expect Oregon to get an official visit at some point, but have not heard of a date for that to take place.

Only Syracuse, Michigan, and North Carolina were mentioned as pretenders. With no offficial visit set up for some of the five contenders, there's still a lot of room for movement, but I'd agree that these three teams are odd to include at this junction.

One of the interesting subplots is how much Russell wants to play basketball. LSU and Miami have offered him in football and basketball. That could be a determining factor, or a potential wildcard Oregon could utilize as this race comes down to the end.

Andrew Ivins of 247Sports has compared Russell to Cincinnati Bengals star receiver Tee Higgins.

Hulking wide receiver with above-the-rim athleticism that makes him a uniquely dangerous target, especially down in the red zone. 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. Not going to outrun every tackle, but is quick to hit the gas and can make some dynamic cuts in traffic. 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.