The nation's No. 1 cornerback, Cormani McClain will choose between the Gators, Crimson Tide and Hurricanes on Oct. 27. Zach Goodall 20 hours ago The Florida Gators began their pursuit of Lakeland (Fla.) High cornerback Cormani McClain right after he transitioned to the position as a sophomore. McClain, previously a wide receiver for Lake Gibson, intercepted an incredible nine passes in as many starts at corner for the Braves that season. UF's previous coaching staff quickly took notice, hosting McClain on three visits the following summer and again for a game prior to head coach Dan Mullen's dismissal at the end of the 2021 season. While Mullen's demise became more apparent as last year inched on, so did McClain's talent and potential stardom. He picked off another ten passes for the Braves and, eventually, emerged as the country's No. 1 cornerback in the class of 2023, according to the SI99. Despite Florida and McClain's future outlooks trending in opposite directions, strong interest remained between the two parties at the time and has only strengthened since. New head coach Billy Napier and his staff seamlessly picked up McClain's recruitment to Florida where Mullen and Co. left it. McClain's relationship with Gators cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond, dating back to the latter's time at LSU, has been beneficial in maintaining the recruit's intrigue in the UF, which has resulted in another five visits to Gainesville this year. "Coach C-Ray, me and him have a great relationship, I think it's there," McClain told All Gators in July. "He's produced a lot of great athletes. I look up to coach C-Ray as one of the guys that you know is going to get you to the league and [has the] things that you need to get there." What Cormani McClain's Commitment Would Mean for the Gators
I think it would send a message to other recruits as well. Great players want to play with other great players. Playing against the best all year in practice makes you better.
Ronald Powell was the consensus #1 ranked overall player? I knew he was #1 at his position but didn’t know he was #1 overall
If we can land McClain at #2 then steal #6 and #7 on that list, I'd be one happy dude. James Smith and Qua Russaw would be gravy on top of that... #15 and #29 respectively.
Francis not coming our way. Not in his top 3 unfortunately. May still go Miami to collect his NIL and then transfer after year 1 if not starting or things don’t improve. TN would likely benefit if he decommitted from Miami i think both Bama and Ohio State are ahead of us for Keon.
I'm not greedy (yeah, right). I'll "settle" for Cormani, Ricks, Russaw, Bryant and Smith on the D side.
Some interesting comments for what it's worth, from a Florida high school football fan, that decided to travel to Lakeland to watch 2 undefeated teams (Lakeland and Clearwater Academy Intl), go at it this past Friday night. Lakeland does have the #1 DB in state who is also considered the #1 player in Florida, the before mentioned Cormani McClain. He is going to commit Thursday. The Gators are the heavy favorite to snag him. He is a very talented player who plays and runs his mouth with arrogance. McClain actually plays a little too casual for me. He was beat deep 3 times. Two were overthrown and one was under thrown. Of course he knocked the under thrown ball away. The worst mistake was multiple penalties called against a young CAI assistant who got so incensed at a Lakeland player who had committed a personal foul. The Dreadnaught hit a CAI player twice after the CAI player was on the ground. The coach started to run onto the field with the intention of confronting the Lakeland player who just happened to be Cormani McClain. The CAI coaches fortunately stopped the assistant. If they didn’t you would have seen a report on your 11 o’clock news..
If the receiver does NOT catch the ball was DB really beat? I think that's just 'the ball' beating the DB and the receiver. No reception? Does NOT count as getting beat.