Colorado's Cormani McClain involved in car wreck overplayed by TMZ
Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Cormani McClain was involved in a minor traffic accident last week. The incident happened near campus in Boulder on Jan. 15 with no injuries reported and no significant damage.
This would be a non-story for many news outlets, except TMZ Sports, who glamorized Boulder Police cited McClain for "driving too fast" for weather conditions. What wasn't detailed in the initial report was the high temperature of negative eleven degrees that day with six inches of fresh snow on the ground.
McClain, a native of Lakeland, Fla., has very little experience driving in winter weather conditions. The first time the former five-star recruit ever witnessed snow falling was on his recruiting visit to Boulder last year. Not to mention, even the best drivers have difficulties controlling the wheel under adverse conditions such as those.
Sources tell BuffsBeat that McClain's brakes locked up while going over ice, which caused him to slide into another vehicle at a stop light.
Deion Sanders scrutinized McClain for a lack of discipline during the season. However, he bounced back in a major way, starting with a breakout game vs. USC. It was clear the top recruit was starting to turn a corner in his journey. Sanders has also been passionate about McClain since the first time they met.
"We want him to be that dude," Sanders told reporters in September. "We have an expectation of what they should be doing and accomplishing. I'm proud of him."
The highest-ranked recruit in Prime's 2023 class used last year to develop at the next level. McClain racked up 13 tackles in nine games (four starts) being a few months removed from Lakeland. He came to Boulder as the No. 4 overall player on ESPN's 300 list.
McClain has been working on improving his image on and off the field. On the same day as his accident, the Buffs players made a trip to feed the homeless at the Denver Rescue Mission to honor Dr. Martin Luther King. He was front and center with the team as they made the rounds on the day of service.
Coach Prime hopes to use McClain often in the secondary rotation next season. He's been a weight room warrior for the Buffs to start the off-season with noticeable changes to his routine.