Multi-gold and platinum selling rapper Toosii will step out of recording studio and on to the gridiron in hopes of suiting up for Syracuse University’s football team, the artist announced on Monday.
The 25-year-old rapper, real name Nau’Jour Grainger, told fans on social media that he’s fulfilling a childhood dream.
“For every kid who ever had a dream, make it reality,” he posted. “God’s will is the way and no one can stop it not even the devil.”
Toosii, who spent his childhood in Syracuse before moving to North Carolina as a preteen, thanked second-year Orange coach Fran Brown for the chance to play.
“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,” according to the artist. “So with that being said, Cuse I’m coming home.”
The artist attended Rolesville High School in North Carolina, about 20 miles away from NC State in Raleigh.
He was listed as an 11th grade, 5-foot-6 wide receiver and kick returner for the Rolesville Rams in fall of 2016. His name didn’t appear on the 2017 Rolesville roster.
The recruiting website On3 called him a 5-9, 165-pound wide receiver committed to Syracuse.
While it’s not clear what kind of organized football Toosii has played in the past several years, he said he drew interest fromMaryland, USC and Duke before picking his hometown Orange.
A Syracuse spokesperson on Tuesday declined comment on his status with the Orange, citing NCAA rules covering recruiting.
It’s possible the school could identify him as soon as Wednesday, the first day of national signing day for prospective Division I football players.
If Toosii intends to play for Syracuse next season, he’d likely have to participate in spring practice and be enrolled at SU for the spring term, which begins on Jan. 12.
It wasn’t clear if he would be offered one of the program’s 105 scholarship spots or provide his own tuition funding as a walk-on.
The Orange just finished the 2025 season at 3-9 overall and 1-7 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, following a successful 2024 campaign at 10-3 and 5-3.
Cuse’s 2026 opener is tentatively set for Sept. 6 against FCS New Hampshire.
Toosii has five gold and two platinum records on his resume with his best sellers “Love Cycle” in 2021 and “Favorite Song” this year.
He wouldn’t be the first student-athlete to hop between the worlds of rap and sports.
Point guard Percy Miller, better known by his stage nameLil’ Romeo, played two seasons on the USC basketball team. He came to campus in fall 2008 with his childhood friend — and current Sacramento Kings swingman — DeMar DeRozan who played one season for the Trojans before entering the NBA Draft.
Ryan Beckler contributed.
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