Calvin Russell played varsity basketball as an 8th grader at Mater Academy Charter, averaging 12.8 points and 8.8 rebounds playing against high school seniors.
He came by it naturally, 6-5 and 195 pounds. His mother Chanivia Broussard was an ACC basketball legend playing for the Miami from 2000-2004, named to the Hurricanes Hall of Fame after scoring 1,482 points in her career, 10th all-time in rebounds.
Now at his mom's old high school Miami Northwestern, Calvin stars in football and basketball for the Bulls, who won the Florida 3A state championship last season. Another MNHS grad, former Louisville and NFL star Teddy Bridgewater, serves as their football coach.
Russell has over 50 offers as a wide receiver. He visited Oregon April 18th. He returns this weekend for an official visit, and if the Ducks can make a slam-dunk impression, he could give them something they've rarely had, an athletic wide receiver with size.
Oregon has a fantastic tradition at wide receiver. Lew Barnes. Cristin McLemore. Dameron Ricketts. Samie Parker. Keenan Howry. De'Anthony Thomas. Jeff Maehl. Tez Johnson.
There are a dozen other noteworthy names, but it's a list dominated by quick, little guys. Seldom have the Ducks had The Megatron, the beast wide receiver with great hands and body control who is almost impossible to cover, especially in the Red Zone.
Concomitantly, Oregon defensive backs have always struggled to cover that type of wide receiver in big games. Nearly everyone does.
Oh, there have been a few forays in that direction. Dwayne Stanford caught 97 passes over four years at UO from 2012-16, and Kyler Kasper on the current team stands 6-5, 195, though he's battled through injuries over his first two seasons.
Jaison Williams played in Eugene and made an impact, though he struggled with drops.
Seldom have the Ducks pursued and landed a receiver with this package of size, body control and hands.
Basketball helps. The hardwood was Russell's principal sport growing up and he even gave up football through middle school. The twin-sport background makes him fluid in traffic. He catches the ball with soft hands.
Freshman and sophomore year, he played quarterback. Bridgewater moved him to receiver.
Russell wants to play both sports in college. He told Patrick Chalvire and Donovan Campbell of Miami 7 News, “I wouldn’t say I like one sport better than the other. You know, I love both, so I just fell in love with both sports, put my all into both sports, and I just want to see what happens in the end."
He's a Division I prospect in both, having trimmed his football list to a Final 8 of Miami, Syracuse, Oregon, North Carolina, Florida State, Michigan, Florida and LSU.
Distance isn't a primary factor. He said to Nick Wilson of the Palm Beach Post, "That doesn't really matter to me. I just want to go wherever is best for me."
Russell is a year-round athlete. He's not a standout in track, but he competes in the long jump, high jump and high hurdles, with a couple of fourth-place finishes at the district meet. He's run the 400 in 56.08, something few of us could do right now, or ever.
Dana Altman could use an athletic open court player, and Dakorien Moore would love to have a receiver opposite to stretch the field and move the chains.
Away from the field, he told Dean Berman of "Whoa Sports World" that he likes to listen to YoungBoy and Lil Poppa and his role models are his parents.