Toosii — real name Nau’Jour Grainger — has announced that he will commit to play college football at Syracuse Orange beginning next fall. The 25-year-old artist shared the news on social media, posting a photo of himself in a Syracuse football uniform and writing: “COMMITTED … Cuse I’m coming home.”
Toosii, who built his reputation as a platinum-selling rapper, has taken a step back from his music career this year to pursue his long-standing ambition of playing Division I college football. In mid-2025 he began training at North Carolina State and publicly declared his intent to return to the gridiron.
Born in Syracuse, New York, Grainger moved to North Carolina at age 12 and played high school football at Rolesville High School in Raleigh. Despite the hiatus from organized football since his teen years, he is slated to join the 2026 signing class for Syracuse.
In his commitment post, Toosii expressed gratitude to supporters and framed his decision as following his faith and dreams. “For every kid who ever had a dream, make it reality,” he wrote, adding that the call from Syracuse’s coach Fran Brown felt like “a sign from God.”
His commitment stands out as highly unusual — a multi-platinum recording artist shifting gears to pursue college athletics. Syracuse University’s football program, which struggled during the 2025 season, may now add a high-profile name to its roster just months ahead of the new season.
