Jon Sumrall takes recruiting hit, 4-star RB flips to a different SEC team

Well, the dominoes may be starting to fall for Jon Sumrall and the Florida Gators. Despite the team's class of 2026 staying together for months after the program fired head coach Billy Napier, a player has finally decided to take his talents elsewhere.

Making matters worse, he committed to a different team in the Gators' conference.

Four-star running back Carsyn Baker, who originally committed to Florida in June of this year, just flipped to the Texas A&M Aggies, one of the current top teams in the SEC.

Carsyn Baker heading to College Station

Baker was the first player in the Gators' upcoming group of recruits to decommit from the program, but wasn't the first loss from the recruiting cycle.

While Napier was still leading the team, blue-chip prospects like safety Devin Jackson, linebacker Izayia Williams, and more decided to take their talents elsewhere. Baker was the first loss for Florida's new head coach, Sumrall, who had been doing an impressive job with retention until this point.

Also read: 4-star Florida commit officially spurns Ohio State to stayed locked in with Gators

The loss of Baker didn't entirely derail Florida's recruiting class, most of which signed with the Gators on National Signing Day. The class ranks 13th in the nation (three spots lower than last year) and seventh in the SEC (exactly where Napier's previous class ranked).

Meanwhile, Baker's new class ranks eighth in the country and fourth in the conference, only trailing the Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Tennessee Volunteers. Yes, you read that correctly, the Aggies are even ahead of their in-state rivals, the Texas Longhorns.

While the loss of Baker is certainly a hit to the class and Sumrall's recruiting efforts, it isn't the end of the world, and if the head coach can retain the two recruits who haven't signed (four-star safety Kaiden Hall and three-star tight end Kekua Aumua), it should be smooth sailing from here on out.