5-Star CB Prospect Sam McCall Decommits from Florida

Florida head coach Dan Mullen is having a rough few days.

On Wednesday, the Gators lost 55-20 to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl Classic. On Friday, 5-star recruit Sam McCall decommitted from the program.

McCall is the No. 4 athlete and No. 33 player in the 2022 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

McCall committed to Florida in October:

At the time, 247Sports' Steve Wiltfong highlighted how the Lakeland, Florida, native could help the Gators in a variety of ways:

"New Florida commit Sam McCall is a really good football player that impacts the game in all three facets on the prep level. At corner I like the balance, body control, the way he accelerates, the tackling ability, change of direction and certainly the ball skills. He is smooth wide receiver, can make big plays downfield, goes up and gets the football, has elusiveness after the catch, and again that burst allows him to separate and pull away. He’s fun to watch in the return game, a house call could always be in order from McCall."

As a junior at Lake Gibson High School, McCall had 18 tackles and four interceptions on defense to go along with 34 rushing yards and 52 receptions for 903 yards and 10 touchdowns, per AllGators' Zach Goodall.

McCall could decide to stick with Florida. But should he pledge his future to another school, it will be the second successive recruiting cycle in which Mullen lost a blue-chip cornerback. Clinton Burton Jr., the No. 13 corner in 247Sports' composite rankings for 2021, spurned the Gators to sign with Boston College. They did, however, sign 5-star cornerback Jason Marshall.

The timing of McCall's decision isn't ideal on the heels of Florida's shellacking. Oklahoma had 684 yards of total offense and forced Kyle Trask to endure his worst performance (16-of-28 for 158 yards and three interceptions) of the season.

The game underscored Mullen's need to strengthen the defense. The team allowed 428 yards and 30.8 points per game in 2020. Those numbers aren't good enough if the Gators want to overtake Alabama in the SEC or reach the College Football Playoff.