Wow, what a rollercoaster of a season for the Florida Gators! After a tough loss to Texas, they bounced back with a 27-16 win over LSU. But the real surprise came from their five-star cornerback, Cormani McClain. Remember when McClain was in the news for all the wrong reasons a few months ago? Well, he’s flipped the script. His recent actions have caught everyone’s attention. It’s clear that he’s focused on the future and ready to make a positive impact on and off the field.

As soon as he joined the Gators, rumors of his off-season departure from Coach Prime’s CU Buffs due to allegations of behavioral issues started to swirl. This time, though, the five-star cornerback posted a daring message on his Instagram story that said, “I gotta work on reaching out to people more, I love y’all. I will just be in my own world.” 

McClain seems to have realized his shortcomings and the reasons he was kept off of Florida’s depth chart for the first few weeks. And as everyone knows, there were whispers that Billy Napier was unhappy with what Cormani McClain had done and that the player would most probably be be kicked off the team. However, he debunked those rumors earlier this year: “He’s doing fine. I mean, I think a lot of this gets blown out of proportion.” Before that, at one point, a Buff player who wished to remain anonymous, even detailed the “toxic” environment in McClain’s former team, the CU Buffs, and the soured relations between the player and Shilo Sanders.  

The unnamed player revealed, “Cormani was taking a lot of heat from everyone. At the same time Coach Prime was saying he was in the doghouse and needed to improve, Cormani was getting bullied by Shilo (Sanders). After the Oregon State game, Shilo slapped him several times, which left Cormani screaming ‘I’m going to kill you’ repeatedly. After that, you could tell he wasn’t mentally there. It’s hard when the coaches you trust are calling you derogatory names on the practice field.”

However, looks like McClain has made sure to turn his critics into supporters with his most recent performance. He stepped up when the team needed him most, and no one expected him to play with such skill. And he finally had his chance to shine when the season began.

The player made his first interception of the season on October 19, in his first game against Kentucky. He intercepted Cutter Boley’s pass and returned it 25 yards, helping the Gators win 48-20. His actions on the field have since altered perceptions and shown that he is prepared to support the Gators’ defense. In an effort to help McClain adapt to a new environment, head coach Billy Napier has resolved their previous conflicts, stating, “Cormani McClain has that potential to be what Jason Marshall has been now because he’s a five-star guy.“

But now that we know what happened with McClain, what’s been the player’s reaction to all of this?

What Cormani McClain said about CU Buffs

On his journey out of Colorado, McClain definitely drew attention. The cornerback, who left the Buffs via the transfer portal, made some headline-grabbing comments about Coach Prime’s program in the “Next Step” video. He stated in the first two minutes of the video that he desires to “change the narrative surrounding my name and be a part of a real and great program that’s going to impact me to the best of my ability.“

Moreover, he stated, “I feel like I just don’t want to play for clicks. I actually want to be involved with a great leading program that’s going to develop players.” Well, the top athlete appeared to be extremely confident in his abilities and believed that Buffs was not the best venue for him to showcase them. However, losing McClain didn’t hurt the Buffs too much, as they’re 8-2 this season.

While his comments about Coach Prime and the team were a bit harsh, it seems like he’s genuinely passionate about his message of reaching out to others. We’ll see what the future holds for this talented cornerback in Florida.