Can FSU land WR Calvin Russell? Flips key to Top 10 recruiting class

If FSU's recruiting class is going to get into the top 10, the Seminoles staff will need to convince a few blue-chip prospects to flip from their current pledges to join the garnet and gold.

One player to keep an eye on might be wide receiver Calvin Russell. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound athlete is one of the more notable names on Chad Simmons'  list of prospects to watch this fall.

Russell committed to Syracuse several weeks ago, choosing the Orange over FSU, Miami and Michigan. The blue-chip prospect had a mid-week official visit to Tallahassee, but at the time it didn't seem like he was a serious option for the Seminoles.

That has to change and the best way for that to happen is for the staff to get Russell back on campus again. Russell has to experience the atmosphere of a game in Tallahassee when the fanbase is excited. There are two games that would best fit that bill -- August 30 against Alabama or October 4 against Miami.

​In a perfect world, FSU would love to get Russell on campus for both games, but if the staff could get him up for the opener, that might be the best opportunity to get him thinking about a future with FSU. There's always a special excitement about the first game, especially a big game on national television against a blue blood opponent

The FSU-Miami game is a totally different atmosphere. There's always a fun tension in the air for a rivalry game. The weather will be a tinge cooler in the first week of October, and it's still early enough in the season when FSU-Miami will be the game in the ACC that week.

For his part, Russell says he's solid to Syracuse and specifically because of Orange head coach Fran Brown. But it's a long way to December and expect his other finalists, Miami and Michigan, to remain hot on Russell until he puts pen to paper. 

FSU needs to do the same.