Colorado rises in On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings following Cormani McClain commitment
Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes landed their biggest win of this recruiting cycle as when Lakeland (Fla.) five-star cornerback Cormani McClain announced that he had flipped his commitment from Miami to Colorado.
McClain’s pledge elevated Colorado’s 2023 recruiting class from No. 39 to No. 31 in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. They also have the No. 5 class in the Pac-12.
With his commitment, McClain is the highest ranked player in Colorado’s 2023 recruiting class. The Buffaloes had three four-star prospects sign during the Early Signing Period in Derby (Kan.) running back Dylan Edwards, Vivian (La.) North Caddo wide receiver Omarion Miller and Thomasville (Ga.) Thomas County Central wide receiver Adam Hopkins.
A 6-foot-1.5, 160 pound prospect, McClain is the No. 10 overall prospect and No. 1 cornerback in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 2 player in Florida.
He currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $379K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.
Deion Sanders lands another top cornerback, ends McClain’s wild recruitment
A year after shocking the college football recruiting landscape by landing a commitment from five-star cornerback Travis Hunter, Deion Sanders once again landed a commitment from the nation’s top cornerback in McClain.
McClain’s flip from Miami to Colorado ends what was a wild recruitment for him.
On Oct. 27, McClain chose to commit to Miami over Alabama and Florida. He remained committed to the Hurricanes through the Early Signing Period but in a shocking move, did not sign with the team. His mother tweeted out the day that he was supposed to sign that it would not be happening.
During this time, Deion Sanders and Colorado were reported to have gotten involved in McClain’s recruitment. McClain told reporters during the Under Armour All-American game on Jan. 3 that he would be signing with a school on Jan. 15. On that date however, he could only sign a financial aid agreement, which does not lock him into a school. On February 1, National Signing Day, McClain could then sign his National Letter of Intent, which binds him to the college of his choice.
Images then surfaced on Jan. 14 of McClain visiting Colorado and in Buffaloes gear despite him posting on his Instagram a black picture with his location saying that he was still in Florida.
A day after those reports, McClain announced his commitment to Colorado.