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Cormani McClain reportedly has interest from CFB Playoff contenders after leaving Deion Sanders and Colorado

Former five-star recruit getting attention from around the nation after entering the transfer portal
Josh Tolle|
Sep 30, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Cormani McClain (1) breaks up a
Sep 30, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Cormani McClain (1) breaks up a | Chet Strange-USA TODAY Sports

Cormani McClain, the top defender from last year’s recruiting class, entered the transfer portal this week after one year with Coach Prime and Colorado. The Lakeland, Fla. native took a lot of heat on his way out the door, but seems like he's about to bounce back and put his time in Boulder behind him. 

McClain has received interest from at least eleven major schools from coast-to-coast, including Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, LSU, USC, and Oregon. There are two Florida schools in the mix, with UCF and USF both on the list. It would put the cornerback closer to home, but neither are expected to be in the conversation for this year's College Football Playoff.     

ESPN’s Pete Thamel expects McClain to end up with a huge contender when the dust settles. He told the ‘College GameDay Podcast’ on Wednesday that one of the blue bloods will be likely to one pulling him in and the decision will have less to do about proximity to the Sunshine State. 

"You know, a guy ranked that highly is always going to get another chance,” Thamel said. “If you have five stars? You will have five chances. That’s pretty much how this goes.” 

McClain left Colorado after appearing in nine games (four starts) with 13 tackles (one for loss) and two PDUs. He'll bring an outstanding resume and have a fresh start at his next stop. “You get ranked that high off height, weight, speed, right? Sometimes the pedigree of school,” said Thamel. “So, because of those things, I think (McClain) will end up with some sort of blue blood.”

McClain is currently one of the highest rated players available in the portal. 

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Josh Tolle
JOSH TOLLE

Josh Tolle is a writer covering college sports for On SI. Outside of storytelling, the multi-talented broadcaster has play-by-play experience at the professional and collegiate levels. In 2018, he began calling games for the National Women’s Soccer League. He has also called games for the United Soccer League, Concacaf, and the U.S. Open Cup. He has called hockey for the Premier Hockey Federation for the past three seasons and was the play-by-play voice for the Superior RoughRiders of the Western Hockey League. He has provided play-by-play for various other sports including football, basketball, baseball and volleyball events. Since 2015, Tolle has been the voice of Colorado School of Mines Athletics having called football, men's and women's basketball and soccer. He previously wrote for SB Nation.

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