From Colorado to transfer portal, is there a path of redemption for Cormani McClain?
McClain's immense talent and potential is abundantly clear, but is his commitment to football?
There is a future where Cormani McClain finds a new home, develops into a shutdown cornerback, collects All-America honors, wins a championship and culminates a three-year college career with a celebratory stroll across the stage at the NFL Draft.
The question is whether the generational talent can or will find the right home to begin fulfilling those dreams.
In only 17 bumpy months, McClain has been criticized for a cloak-and-dagger recruiting process that burned several bridges at college programs, which then led to a rollercoaster fall semester at Colorado, where Hall of Famer Deion Sanders benched the former five-star recruit while trying -- and failing -- to coax the freshman to break bad work habits.
McClain entered the college football transfer portal on Tuesday, looking for a fresh start after a sour beginning and ending in Boulder. He played only nine games. Many schools are reluctant to recruit McClain because of what transpired over the last two years, though
USC and USF have shown interest, according to 247Sports' Tom Loy.
"I'm always in prayer for our young men and I want the best for them," Sanders said Wednesday in response to the departure of McClain, via DNVR Buffs. "I pray to God that he goes to a program that challenges him, as well as holds him accountable and develops him as a young man."
To better understand what the future might hold for McClain, 247Sports spoke to people close to him and others who were intimately involved in his rollercoaster ride through recruitment from Lakeland, Florida, to Boulder, Colorado.
There really is no beginning to McClain's story, but there are hallmarks. The biggest red flag emerged in September, when Sanders openly questioned McClain's desire to play football and refused to put him on the field.
"Study, prepare, be on time for meetings. Show up to the darn meetings," Sanders said. "Understand what we're doing as a scheme. Want to play this game. Desire to play this game. Desire to be the best at this game — at practice, in the film room and on your own free time. You do know that I check film time for each player upon the week. Thursday, I need film times from the whole staff so I can see who's been preparing. And that's just not about Cormani, it's about a multitude of them. So if I don't see that, you would be a fool to put somebody out there unprepared. Can't do it. Won't do it. I'm old school."
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