Buffs Beat

Former Colorado five-star recruit Cormani McClain commits to Florida

One of Colorado’s top-ranked recruits of all-time is headed home

Anthony Kazmierczak

Cormani McClain
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A month after announcing his decision to transfer from Colorado, Cormani McClain, the top-
ranked recruit in Sanders’ 2023 class, has found a new home with the Florida Gators. “It’s
always a lesson when you take a lost, as soon as you find it correct it 100. #backhome,” McClain
tweeted on Wednesday.

A product of Lakeland High School (Florida), McClain was the top-ranked cornerback and 13th best prospect overall for the Class of 2023, per 247Sports’ Composite Ranking. The 6-foot-2, 165-pound cornerback originally committed to Miami, but flipped to Colorado a month after Deion Sanders was hired in December 2022.

Often challenged by Sanders about his work ethic, McClain struggled to get consistent playing time with Colorado last season. Following the Buffaloes first three games in which McClain failed to play a snap, Sanders informed reporters that McClain needed to “study, prepare, be on time to meetings, show up to the darn meetings, understand what we’re doing as a scheme” before he’d earn more playing time. McClain started only four of the Buffaloes 12 games and recorded 13 tackles and two pass break ups.


“I pray to God that he goes to a program that challenges him as well as hold him accountable and develop him as a young man,” Sanders told DNVR shortly after McClain transferred. “Unfortunately, we weren’t the program that can accomplish that. So prayerfully he understands that this is the second go-round and go get it, man. Because he has a tremendous amount of talent, but he has to want it.”

McClain is the fourth highest recruit in Buffaloes history behind Darrell Scott, Marcus Houston, and Class of 2024 offensive lineman Jordan Seaton, according to 247Sports. McClain will likely arrive in Gainesville as a walk-on since the Gators have all 85 scholarships filled for this fall. He’ll have three years of eligibility remaining

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Anthony Kazmierczak

ANTHONY KAZMIERCZAK