Why Toosii left 'bozo' Fran Brown, Syracuse to join LSU football

Toosii, a 26-year-old rapper from Syracuse, New York, has joined the LSU football team. It's been quite an eventful ride there.

The rapper, whose real name is Nau'Jour Grainger, announced in August 2025 he was pausing his music career to pursue his football dreams. Grainger, who returned kicks and played wide receiver for Rolesville (N.C.) at the high school level, visited NC State and Duke while landing a scholarship offer from Sacramento State.

Grainger eventually committed to Syracuse, citing a return to his hometown as the primary motivation.

"For every kid who ever had a dream, make it reality," Grainger wrote in his Dec. 1, 2025 announcement. "God's will is the way and no one can stop it not even the devil. I wanna thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ for even giving me the strength to chase what I believed when so many people told me I couldn't. Thank you to the people who supported me as well, it never go unnoticed. 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."

Things quickly turned ugly between Grainger and Syracuse. Coach Fran Brown publicly categorized Grainger as a walk-on, which seemed to embarrass the rapper.

"No coach, that ain't what happened," Toosii said in a January 2026 TikTok video. "I told you I wasn't coming there no more, and you feel like you wanted to break the news first before I told people what school I was going to. (Brown) is a bozo for that."

After the Syracuse debacle, it appeared as if Grainger's college football career ended before it even started. Then Grainer suddenly appeared on the LSU football roster this week, and he's been seen catching passes in practice. The Favorite Song rapper is listed as a wide receiver with No. 89 on the LSU website.

Got a couple shots of Nau'Jour Grainger "Toosii" at #LSU practice on Tuesday.

Toosii is a popular rapper from Syracuse, New York, who transferred from Cuse to LSU and has joined the football team as a wide receiver. @toosii2x is wearing number 89 in these videos. pic.twitter.com/EXJgkEUMne— John Eads WAFB-TV (@JohnEadsWAFB) March 26, 2026

Grainger may have trouble seeing the field in Baton Rouge considering LSU is widely considered home to the nation's best receivers. Still, even taking the leap to play collegiately at this stage of his life is admirable.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why Toosii left 'bozo' Fran Brown, Syracuse to join LSU football