UConn’s trip to Syracuse on Oct. 3 is still a ways off, but the matchup already has a different feel because of what Fran Brown said Tuesday night.
On his coach’s show, the Syracuse head coach said he is positive superstar wide receiver Calvin Russell will be cleared to play against the Huskies. If that happens, it would be Russell’s first college game.
Russell is no ordinary freshman. A five-star receiver recruit from Florida, he’s one of the biggest gets in Syracuse football history. He left high school last December, got to campus early, and even joined the Syracuse basketball team.
He played in one game on the hardwood, which was notable enough given that he was still basically a high school senior at the time.
Russell’s football path has been delayed by injury. He tore his Achilles in March during Syracuse spring practice and has not seen the field yet.
Last week, he was back at practice, then took part in warmups before the Orange lost to Cal. He will not play this week at Pitt.
Syracuse has a bye on Sept. 26, and Brown said Russell will be cleared for the road game with UConn.
If Russell does suit up, the timeline alone stands out. It would be barely six months after the Achilles tear, a remarkably fast return from a serious injury. For comparison, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles in May of 2025 and returned in March of 2026, while Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers tore his in June of 2025 and did not return at all last season.
From UConn’s perspective, Russell’s presence adds another dangerous piece to a Syracuse offense that already has plenty of questions. His impact might not be immediate in his first game, which would help the Huskies, but the upside is obvious.
There’s also the possibility that Syracuse eases him in. Brown saying Russell will be cleared does not automatically mean he’ll be asked to carry a full load, and a limited role would be another break for UConn.
Before any of that comes into play, the Huskies have Southern Miss to handle Saturday night. Both teams enter at 1-1.
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UConns first road trip of the 2026 season will bring Jason Candle into a fresh kind of early test, one that comes far from home in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It will be Candles first season guiding the Huskies, and the matchup against Southern Miss gives him an immediate chance to see how his team handles the road in an unfamiliar setting against a program still trying to establish its own footing.
Southern Miss is also under new direction, with Blake Anderson entering his first season there, and the Golden Eagles have turned over much of the roster. It adds another layer to a game that already carries some intrigue for UConn, especially because the two schools have never met before, leaving Candle and his staff to navigate a scouting assignment with no shared history to lean on. [Read more 🡒]