The fact that 5-star second-year Colorado football flip Cormani McClain hasn't hit the transfer portal yet this offseason was deemed "quite impressive" by Mike Farrell of the Mike Farrell Sports brand on December 22.
"It is quite impressive that Cormani McClain hasn’t hit the portal," Farrell prefaced before saying, "After the Deion call out and with him hailing all the way from Florida I thought he was for sure a flight risk."
The call-out Farrell was referring to happened back on September 26 ahead of the USC game, his debut with the Buffs, when one reporter asked Deion Sanders why the Miami flip had not seen any action yet up until that point.
Deion Sanders elaborates on what he wants to see from Cormani McClain. pic.twitter.com/HFHyKpxxBb
— NMD Grant (@NMDgrant) September 26, 2023
"Study. Prepare. Study. Prepare. Be on time for meetings," Coach Prime prefaced before saying, "Show up to the darn meetings. Understand what we're doing as a scheme. Want to play this game. Desire to play this game. Desire to be the best in this game, at practice, in the film room. Uh, and on your own free time. You do know that I check film time for each player... I need film time from the whole staff, so I can see who's been preparing and that's not just about Cormani, that'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. Can't do it. I'm old school, I'm sorry."
Cormani McClain could be Coach Prime's first long-term Colorado football star or first notable transfer he lost
McClain's future in Colorado, or elsewhere, feels like it will be either a seismic boom or a notable bust.
No in-betweens.
He could be the first long-term star for Coach Prime, sticking with the program after an initial road bump, and become a building block for the post-Travis Hunter Buffs. Or he could be the first notable blue-chip to ditch Deion and Co. and help recruit against CU by badmouthing all that "Prime Time" stands for.
It seems like the former is more in play, because McClain became one of Coach Prime's most complimented players by season's end.