Miami football Cormani McClain saga ends with Colorado flip

The recruitment of five-star cornerback Cormani McClain by the Miami football program has ended with his as-expected flip to Colorado on Thursday night. McClain had been committed to Miami since late October. Red flags were raised with McClain when his mother tweeted he would not be signing last month.

The tweet by McClain’s mother stated he would not be appearing at his own Early National Signing Day ceremony last month. McClain was the highest-rated commit in the 2023 Miami football signing class and the top CB nationally. The 2023 Miami class drops from fifth to seventh without McClain.

McClain reportedly was not happy with his name, image and likeness deal and wanted Miami defensive analyst DeMarcus Van Dyke who was his primary recruiter with the Hurricanes to receive an onfield coaching role. Van Dyke was the Miami CBs coach before Mario Cristobal was hired as head coach in December 2021.

McClain was in Boulder last weekend visiting the Colorado camps and with head coach Deion Sanders. When someone called out the visit on social media, McClain posted a picture of himself and used a geotag for Tampa. That was quickly debunked. Miami signed three other highly-ranked CBs in the 2023 class.

Damari Brown and Robert Stafford are natural CBs and Antione Jackson was a safety in high school who is projected to move to CB in college and are 2023 Miami signees. Brown, Jackson and Stafford all received four-star grades. Miami also added Brown’s brother Davonte as a transfer from Central Florida.

Because McClain did not sign a National Letter of Intent in December, he was to wait until the traditional signing period beginning on February 1 to sign with Colorado. McClain will team with the top 2022 CB, Travis Hunter at Colorado. Hunter followed Sanders to Boulder from Jackson State.

McClain told Steve Wiltfong of 247 Sports “I play DB and Coach Prime is the best DB. I wanna be in the same shoes, same predicament, gold jacket, everything,” McClain told 247Sports. “Get coached by the best DB. Why not?” Miami can put the drama with McClain behind them and recruit players interested in the Hurricanes.