Nau’Jour Grainger, better known as rapper Toosii, announced on social media he will suit up to play for the Orange.
Grainger is from Syracuse and played high school football in North Carolina before embarking on his music career. His hit 2023 song, ‘Favorite Song,’ went double platinum and topped at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. He has 4.5 million followers on Instagram and 3.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
In the summer, Grainger posted on social media he was pursuing a chance to play college football and pausing his music career.
‘I’m chasing history first multi-platinum recording artist to go back to school and play Division I football,’ he wrote in August. ‘Next year I’m gonna be on somebody’s team mark my words.’
Since then, the 25-year-old has posted videos of him working out, along with taking recruiting visits to Duke, Maryland and Sacramento State. It led to his announcement to play for his hometown university, which he said he decided after receiving a call from Syracuse coach Fran Brown.
‘To be born in Syracuse and move to North Carolina at age 12 and haven’t been back since. When Coach Fran called, I knew it was a sign from God. So with that being said, Cuse I’m coming home,’ he said.
Grainger is listed as a receiver on recruiting site Rivals and is part of the 2026 recruiting class. When asked by USA TODAY Sports for more information, Syracuse said it could not comment on prospective student-athletes due to NCAA rules.
The Orange finished the 2025 season with a 3-9 record and went 1-7 in ACC play, finishing last in the conference. Syracuse currently is ranked No. 26 in the 2026 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. Grainger is not listed on the site.
