FSU football: Sam McCall no longer on the roster reaction

Former four-star defensive back Sam McCall is no longer on the FSU football roster, according to a report from Nole247’s Brendan Sonnone.

The move comes as no surprise, as McCall issued a statement he planned to enter the transfer portal a few weeks ago before quickly deleting the post and admitting he had acted on emotion.

McCall returned to practice and didn’t seem to be a distraction to the team until a photo appeared with him on the sideline alone with all the other players standing together.

McCall was never able to crack the two-deep in the secondary, and the coaching staff tried to keep him involved by putting him as a kickoff returner on special teams.

However, McCall never looked natural returning kicks and eventually got replaced by Trey Benson. McCall never got on the field in meaningful minutes.

I know it’s common for high-profile players to see the field early, and that’s likely the biggest issue in that he felt he should have played more.

Here’s the thing with Mike Norvell’s coaching staff. If you’re good enough to play as a freshman, you’ll get playing time. We saw it last year with Omarion Cooper, and we saw it again with A’zareyeh Thomas this year.

The latter came in the same recruiting class as McCall and wasn’t as highly ranked. I’m not saying McCall was jealous of Thomas getting more playing time, but it likely didn’t help. However, if that’s enough to make a player want to hit the transfer portal, then it’s probably best for him.

Mike Norvell has proven if a player puts in the work at practice and does well there, they’ll get them on the field.

It was no coincidence young players on the team tweeted about learning from older players and waiting for their opportunities shortly after McCall posted the transfer stuff on social media.

I wish him nothing but the best, and hopefully, he’ll wind up in a situation where he can get on the field sooner than later. McCall’s departure could open up a spot for the coaching staff to take a player from the transfer portal who’d likely have more of an impact in 2023.