Five-Star Recruit Cormani McClain’s Surprising Move
After spending one season with the Buffaloes, cornerback Cormani McClain of Colorado stated on Tuesday that he intends to use the NCAA transfer portal.
In head coach Deion Sanders’ first recruiting class at Colorado, McClain—a former five-star and the top-ranked cornerback prospect in the Class of 2023—was the highest-rated signee after Sanders talked the Lakeland, Florida, standout out of committing to Miami.
The 6-foot-2, 165-pound cornerback had a rocky start to his rookie campaign and was not involved in any defensive action during the Buffaloes’ opening three games. Before McClain could be given more playing time, Sanders informed reporters, he had to “study, prepare, be on time to meetings, show up to the dern meetings, grasp what we are doing as a plan.”
Breaking: Cormani McClain, a cornerback for Colorado, tells @on3sports that he intends to use the Transfer Portal.
The 6’3 173 CB from Lakeland, FL was ranked as the No. 1 CB in the ‘23 Class (per On3)
Will have 4 years of eligibility remaining https://t.co/xSqXS0NCGh pic.twitter.com/Saq4s7IByA
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 16, 2024
From then on, McClain turned things around and was rewarded with four starts. He played with All-Pac-12 cornerback Travis Hunter, earning 13 tackles and two pass breakups. In November, Sanders commended his resolve and improvement.
“We’ve challenged him tremendously all year long. … I’m really, really proud of Cormani. I really am,” Sanders said.
With three more seasons of eligibility remaining, McClain is expected to be among the most sought-after players during the college football spring transfer window, which opened for underclassman transfers on Tuesday and lasts for 14 days.
Before McClain’s announcement on Tuesday, seven Colorado scholarship players had already logged onto the portal: safety Myles Slusher, offensive linemen Savion Washington, David Conner, and Isaiah Jatta, defensive lineman Chazz Wallace, and wide receivers Tar’Varish Dawson and Jacob Page.
• The key query as Deion Sanders’ takeover of Colorado moves into Year 2 is: Is it effective?
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)