Deion Sanders Potentially Lock Away No. 1 Jersey This Season Following Cormani McClain’s Controversial Exit from Colorado

Remembering today, the “1” that got away. Ever since the exit of Cormani McClain, the reputation of Deion Sanders has been in shambles. The former recruit had a tumultuous exit from the team and now, the speculations are on the rise whether Deion will alottt his number to some other player or lock it as a sign of respect.

Deion Sanders, the HC for the Colorado Buffaloes, came under a lot of fire from former players like Cormani McClain and Xavier Smith over how he manages the team behind the curtains. In one of his exit interviews, McClain broke his silence on the matter and claimed that he doesn’t want to “play for clicks” anymore. Since then, the tensions have been high revolving around Coach Prime’s Buffs and now that the next season is due, it will be interesting to see if Deion ends up locking away McClain’s jersey number 1 as a remembrance for the player who openly spoke against the mighty Buffaloes.

Will Deion Sanders respect McClain’s jersey number or give it to someone else?

During the 2023 season, Cormani McClain made his debut in college football with the Colorado Buffaloes and managed to gain the spotlight of the entire fan base. The former five-star prospect played a total of 9 games for the Buffs and recorded over 13 total tackles in his freshman season. Though he could’ve had a bright future with the Buffs, he made his decision to leave and let the fire follow him behind. Now that he’s joined the Florida Gators, the fans seem to believe that Coach Prime will give the number to someone else, but only after, a worthy performance is displayed on the gridiron.

As per the Prime to Colorado YouTube show, “After what happened last season, don’t know if a freshman will get it.” This is a clear indication of how McClain’s exit shook the very foundations of the Buffaloes and that the act of giving some other player the number 1 jersey will surely come with a lot of eyeballs, as it will mean the official end of the McClain saga in Boulder.

Moreover, the host also mentioned how the player would have to “put in the time and earn the respect of not only Coach Prime but their teammates,” to take over for the former cornerback. With that being said, here’s a brief look at the immense value that stands behind the number 1 jerseys.

Famous players who’ve worn the number 1 jersey

If we are to look at the world of the NFL, the first name that comes to mind who currently sports the number 1 jersey, is none other than Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles, who changed his number last year. Whereas when we look at college football, Anthony Carter from Michigan became one of the more notable #1 jersey holders when he left the team in 1982 with 3,076 receiving yards and 37 receiving touchdowns.

Other famous names that have worn it in history include legendary names like Larry Fitzgerald, Mike Williams, and Oklahoma’s finest, Kyler Murray. What’s also interesting to note is that a possible reason why Deion might be so reluctant about assigning the number 1 to some other player is because back during his NFL career, he used to wear the number 2 jersey. And giving the jersey number 1 to a player could hint at his inferiority, which, knowing Coach Prime, will be absolutely unacceptable to his pride. With all that said, Cormani McClain has made his new home with the Gators, where he will get to wear his number 1 jersey for the upcoming season.