Syracuse native and rapper Toosii, born Nau’Jour Grainger, revealed in December that he plans to play college football at Syracuse. His decision drew attention for several reasons, particularly because he has mentioned in interviews multiple times that both sports and music were his main interests growing up.
Toosii’s Syracuse Football Plans Clouded After Fran Brown Update
Since early August, Toosii has been sharing videos documenting his journey, including training sessions at N.C. State’s indoor football facilities. Fans had hoped he might play for Syracuse in 2026 as the Orange look to rebound from a 3-9 season in 2025.
Syracuse head coach Fran Brown provided an update on expectations about Toosii joining the team for the upcoming season.
“He’s not going to come here and play ball,” Brown said on Wednesday during an interview on ESPN Radio Syracuse’s “Orange Nation” radio program. “I was going to allow him to walk on. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to talk about that or not. He’s still thinking about it because when you’re going to walk on somewhere, that’s your right. You get to do that wherever.
“I was going to tell him you definitely have an opportunity to do that because I know he was born and raised here. Just wanted to be able to give him a shot to live out something that was his dream.”
Before committing to the PFSN College Football Offense Metric’s No. 72 team, Syracuse, Toosii received his first offer from FCS Sacramento State in September. He also took visits to Maryland, USC, and Duke two months later.
There were already questions about whether Syracuse had room for Toosii on the roster and whether it made sense to bring him in. Brown addressed those concerns in the same interview.
“I’m not sure if that will happen because we’re getting more and more players on the football team,” Brown said. “I’ve got to evaluate it now. More and more players are coming that can play ball. I think he’s a great young man, to be honest. I figured, why not do that? Why not give him a chance to come back and try to play football in a city where he was born and raised?”
Toosii played high school football at Rolesville High School in North Carolina, where he was a wide receiver in the 2018 class. His high school coach, Wilson Helms, told Syracuse.com’s Chris Carlson that Toosii was a solid route-runner with quickness. Helms said that if Toosii had focused more on football, he could have contributed significantly to the program.
