Cormani McClain was handed a lifeline last year by the Gators after falling out of favor in Boulder. Once a highly sought-after recruit, McClain’s time with the Buffaloes was marred by controversy, including concerns over his commitment and performance under Deion Sanders. However, Florida and coach Billy Napier wanted to give him another chance, recognizing his raw potential and allowing him to reshape his narrative in college football. Ironically, McClain had chosen Colorado over Florida during his initial commitment, but Napier was willing to look beyond that for the program’s overall good, and he has already begun repaying that trust. But how long will it last?

After an entire season biding his time in Florida, which saw him feature in merely three games, McClain has seemingly matured. Things are clicking, and how. 23 mph is what he clocked during the first week of spring camp. Breaching this figure after having gained 20 lb of muscle epitomizes the turnaround in McClain’s young career. His alleged disciplinary issues which marred his time in Colorado, appear to be a thing of the past.

“He’s completely turned it around since then. Cormani McClain a year ago is completely different than Cormani McClain now. He’s showing up on time,” said Gators’ insider Cam Parker in light of his escapades in spring camp. However, one Florida fan thinks it’s all too good to be true.

With McClain’s end of the bargain fulfilled, they believe Billy Napier will let the player down. “Cormani is playing for the same miserable coach who is going to detour his career,” said content creator DJ BlessOne on his IsmokeHiphop Live YouTube channel on Saturday. BlessOne doesn’t rate Napier. However, why does he think Napier will “detour” Cormani McClain’s career? It’s not just because of a lack of coaching acumen. BlessOne believes there’s a bit of personal friction between the two that dates back to before McClain even came to the Swamp.

“Billy Napier keeps tabs on players who crossed him wrong. When Cormani McClain was getting recruited by Florida Gators and Miami Hurricanes, a lot of the recruiting analysts already dropped the bag and said that Cormani was playing Florida and Miami against each other.

I don’t know how true it is but all the analysts were saying that. So, you’re telling me coach Billy Napier is not going to remember when Cormani rejected them?”, said BlessOne. Whether McClain pitted the two rivals against each other in a bidding war, for NIL or otherwise, remains unproven conjecture at this point, but BlessOne went one step further.

McClain had been part of the Gators for only one month when the first rumors of his disciplinary issues surfaced. It was reported that he had been late to most of the requirements in Florida and that he had been removed from the roster as a result. It was cited that his issues with punctuality and discipline were not going away, which put his future in immediate trouble once again. However, Napier dismissed these reports saying,

“He’s doing fine. A lot of this gets blown out of proportion. He’s a young player. Obviously, we’re well aware of his history.” But DJBlessOne claims that it was Napier’s camp that circulated the rumors in the first place.“When Cormani got to Florida, all the negative rumors were by Billy Napier and his staff. They were bringing negative rumors, talking about Cormani was coming late to practice and Cormani wasn’t doing X, Y, and Z. But we seen Cormani going to different elementary schools, talking to the kids. We seen that. We seen Carman with a sense of urgency who understands he has to step up for his career,” he added.

5-star Cormani McClain was numero uno among cornerback prospects in his class of ’23. As was the case with most of America that year, McClain was attracted towards Boulder, Colorado by the magnetism and halo of

Deion Sanders. That halo dissipated very quickly though from McClain’s POV. Deion Sanders had to banish the CB from his Buffs team, owing to persistent disciplinary issues. He was allegedly late to meetings and didn’t learn the playbook either. A fork in the road came, and McClain parted ways with Coach Prime. He hit the transfer portal and came over to Gainsville, FL as a walk-on transfer.

Well, at the moment there seems to be nothing to suggest that Napier or anyone from his camp was responsible for spreading those rumors. If anything, the program has shown faith and patience in Cormani and they are hoping to be rewarded this season. Moreover, Napier needs McClain on the team.

With 2024 starters Jason Marshall Jr. and Trikweze Bridges heading to the NFL and Ja’Keem Jackson transferring, the secondary was in need of new leadership. Compounding the challenge, returning starter Dijon Johnson and redshirt freshman Jameer Grimsley are currently sidelined with injuries and that is where McClain will step in.

Moreover, when you look back at Napier’s comments in January, it seems the coach is firmly behind the former outcast.

“Critical semester for him, just in terms of now he gets to start over. He understands expectations from not just me, but from his teammates. I think obviously an eventful first couple of months here, but I think I’m proud of him, because I think he stayed the course,” Napier said.

However, Napier also outlined areas for improvement saying, “But he needs to get bigger, stronger. He needs to improve as a tackler. He needs to improve his knowledge of the defense, in particular, all the zone-match concepts.” As it turns out, McClain is trying his best to live up to the expectations.

Cormani McClain impresses in spring training

The cornerback, previously weighing 165 pounds, has gained an impressive 17 pounds, now at 182, all while preserving his outstanding speed. Florida football strength and conditioning coach Tyler Miles noted, “He never ran that fast last year, and he weighs 20 pounds more and is running a whole mile per hour faster. I think he’s like the example now for like, what building strength and muscle can do.” And it is not only on the field where McClain is improving.

“He knows the drill now. He knows punctuality and professionalism are key, and he’s living up to that,” Miles added. “Cormani has been a joy this winter, and it’s fantastic to see.” Even his teammates are left impressed by his performances and the efforts he has put in and how he is guiding the others.

Defensive back Devin Moore mentioned, “He’s taken big steps, helping guide the younger players with his experience and insights.” It seems the Gators are on board with what McClain is doing and intend to support him. Hence, for now, the overarching message of Billy Napier “keeping tabs” on the past remains pure speculation.

If McClain keeps this up, he has the chance to prove his doubters wrong and repay the faith that Florida and Napier have shown in him.