Syracuse University simply pulled off some of the unlikely, most out-of-nowhere strikes of the 2026 recruiting cycle. Platinum-selling rapper Toosii, legally often called Nau’Jour Grainger, has put his music profession on pause to pursue faculty soccer, committing to the Syracuse Orange.
His announcement immediately shocked each the music and sports activities communities. It’s a uncommon crossover between chart-topping success and Division I athletics.
Toosii’s Rise: From Syracuse Roots to Platinum Fame
Before Grainger turned a family identify within the music trade, he was born in Syracuse, later relocating to North Carolina as a teen. It is there that his musical journey started.
According to CBS Sports, he gained huge business success with the platinum-certified hits like “Love Cycle” and “Poetic Pain,” which went gold. His 2023 viral sensation “Favorite Song” skyrocketed throughout TikTok, going double platinum and sealing his standing as some of the influential artists of his technology.
While followers know him for his emotional lyrics and melodic sound, few notice that soccer has all the time been a part of his story.
Toosii’s Unfinished Dream
Long earlier than he was a well-known musician, Grainger performed broad receiver and kick returner at Rolesville High School in North Carolina. Now 25, he is choosing up that keenness again-this time on the collegiate degree.
Grainger expressed the next in an impassioned handle about chasing goals regardless of doubt:
“For every kid who ever had a dream, make it reality… When Coach Fran called, I knew it was a sign from God. So with that being said, Cuse I’m coming home.”
Campus Visits and Scholarship Interest
Since asserting his return to soccer again in August, Grainger shortly pulled in curiosity from various packages.
According to 247Sports, he took a pair of visits to each NC State and Duke; whereas choosing up a scholarship supply from Sacramento State. But his dedication to Syracuse is private on various ranges: each a homecoming and a brand new chapter.
How Will Toosii Affect Syracuse Football’s 2026 Recruiting Class
Grainger joins a powerful 2026 recruiting class for Syracuse, in the intervening time rating No. 30 nationally and No. 5 within the ACC, per 247Sports Team Rankings.
With his elite agility and show-stopping star energy as a large receiver, Grainger may very well be some of the compelling storylines in faculty soccer. Syracuse did not simply land a recruit; they welcomed house a hometown star able to rewrite his story underneath the brilliant lights of the Carrier Dome.
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