When Lakeland, Florida native, Cormani McClain returned to his home state to join Gators in the summer, he was eyeing a fresh start. But soon rumors began to circulate that the player was having issues at his new team and that the program was considering doing away with him. However, those rumors were soon debunked by his agent and then by Gators coach Billy Napier. Yet he was left out of the first game of the season.

As the Gators fans waited to catch a glimpse of McClain on August 31 against the Miami Hurricanes, they were left disappointed. The former five-star phenom was not in the team that would eventually go down 41-17 to Miami. But McClain isn’t the one to be bogged down by such situations. Instead, he decided to come out of his hibernation and show up at an early screening of a movie.

When you are a Gator, why not make use of the privilege? That’s what McClain is busy doing at the moment. On September 10, he posted an Instagram reel where he is seen walking into the Regal Cinema looking dapper in a yellow-colored hoodie. But what’s a movie date without your favorite snacks to binge on the whole time?

McClain went straight away to the soft drink counter to grab a glass of his favorite drink to sip on. He then scouted through some candies got his hands on a packet of Skittles and with a tub of popcorn walked into the theater wishing the lady “Have a nice day.”  You could tell McClain was in a good mood from his strut. 

After all not everyone gets lucky to watch a movie at the theatre before its release. He burst into the theater with an “Ooooooo” that echoed like a superfan’s dream coming true. Well, McClain was there for the early screening of the Killers Game starring Dave Bautista, Sofia Boutella, and a bunch of silver screen stars.

For many others, they will still have to wait till September 13, the day J.J. Perry’s blockbuster will officially hit the theatres. However, McClain’s status with the Gators means he has some privileges. In the video, the CB also shared his gratitude, “Shoutout Lionsgate and Disruptive Sports for the hookup.” It will make his fans happy to see McClain laugh as the player has been through a rough patch. 

After headlining Deion Sanders’ first recruiting class with the Buffs, McClain played in nine games and made four starts as a freshman. In those games, he recorded 13 tackles and two pass breakups. He had initially committed to Miami but decided to move to Colorado in January 2023. However, his stint there was short-lived and troublesome as Coach Prime called him out for his work ethic. Hence, the CB decided to move on.

Entering the transfer portal, McClain had hoped for similar attention from programs he got when he was in high school. But soon he had a wake-up call as he didn’t receive as many high-profile offers as he expected. This could have something to do with a YouTube video he posted shortly after entering the portal.

In the video, he said, “he planned to “bring the old version of me out and change the narrative of [what] everyone’s thinking of my name,” before adding he doesn’t want to “just play for clicks, I want to be involved in a great leading program.” Thankfully for him, the University of Florida were ready to take a chance with him and he committed to the program after his second visit in May.

But again, his start at Florida hasn’t been ideal as evidenced by rumors that started doing rounds about his work ethic and commitment.

Cormani McClain’s rocky start with the Gators

Expectations reigned high for McClain who in the quest of playing for a “real program” boarded Billy Napier’s wagon. But maybe it’s the fault in the CB’s stars that before his first breakthrough with Florida, he had hit a roadblock. As a Gators Illustrated reporter tweeted on August 28, “I’ve seen some tweets joking that Cormani McClain and Andy Jean are not on the #Gators two-deep. Both have been injured in camp. Not a surprise they aren’t listed.” But was the injury the only reason to be snubbed from the lineup? Definitely not.  

For a long time now, McClain has been under the criticism radar. According to the senior writer for GatorsOnline and On3, Nick de la Torre, “I was told that Cormani McClain has been late to most of the requirements (meetings, lift, etc). The way that it’s handled is like a strike system.”

The writer continued, “You’re not going to be liked in the locker room if your tardiness/immaturity is causing the rest of your team to have to run. Just immature. Needs to grow up.” This even led to speculation about his future at the Gators, but his agent dismissed those concerns.

Hector Rivas, of Disryptiuve Sports and McClain’s agent, tweeted in July, “Information being circulated about Cormani McClain is 100% false. He is on the team and doing well. Social media is crazy.” Gators coach, Billy Napiers also allayed any fears about his future at the program. Addressing reporters before his podium appearance at SEC Media Days, he said, “A lot of this gets blown out of proportion. He’s a young player. Obviously, we’re well aware of his history.”

While he not been picked straightaway for action, McClain will hope his time will come sooner rather than later and he can prove why he was the best high school player in the state at one point.