Cormani McClain disputes grades are an issue, why he decided to transfer

Colorado transfer cornerback Cormani McClain is pushing back against rumors that his grades played a part in his decision to move on from the team. The former Buffalo addressed the topic in a YouTube video titled “Next Step” on his channel.

McClain was adamant that he maintained good grades during his freshman year at Colorado, saying he “got As and Bs.” The 6-foot-1 defensive back also made it clear that his focus remains on his studies as he looks to find a new school to call home.

“I would say staying on top of school (is my biggest emphasis right now),” McClain said. “You’ve gotta make sure your grades and everything is great in the transfer portal. I don’t know why everybody’s saying the school part about me. I got As and Bs. So it’s never the school part, just to clear that up.”

Cormani McClain committed to Colorado as the No. 13 overall player and No. 1 cornerback in the 2023 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He managed 13 tackles in his true freshman season as he appeared in nine games.

The former five-star faced criticism from coach Deion Sanders, who benched him this past season. Sanders encouraged McClain to “show up to the darn meetings” when asked what the cornerback needed to do to improve.

McClain’s former high school coach, Keith Barefield, even agreed with Sanders’ comments, telling CBS Sports that it was “a lot of work” trying to get him to “do the right thing.”

“I don’t want to say I was necessarily surprised,” Barefield said. “That was a lot of work that I had to do getting him to start doing the right thing. … He’s a kid that grew up and always got away with things because of how good an athlete he was. Some things we did were that first step of taking steps towards it, and kinda warning him about it. Florida kids are going to stretch your limit. They’re always gonna fall to the floor of your standards. Whatever that floor is, they’re gonna fall to it.

“That’s why I liked Deion for Cormani because I knew Deion wouldn’t kiss his butt.”

Now McClain and Sanders will go their separate ways and the cornerback will aim to make a name for himself at another school. He’s reportedly already heard from a number of high-profile teams, including Oklahoma, Texas and Georgia.