By Scott Salomon
As if Colorado's reputation hasn't suffered enough recently, it took another hit when the No. 1 CB in 2023 walked out of the program because he thought he wasn't being developed properly.
Adding fire to flames, Cormani McClain chose to take a shot at Coach Prime on the way out. It was a body shot that sent Prime to the campus and figuratively knocked him out cold.
In a YouTube video dubbed "Next Step", McClain basically said that Sanders was a joke and that he runs a program that goes for the sizzle instead of going for the steak. Call it looking for style over substance.
“Some people just gotta take a step back from things sometimes, certain people, you know,” McClain said. “I feel like I just don’t want to play for clicks. I actually want to be involved with a great leading program that’s going to develop players.”
The former five-star recruit from Lakeland, FL said that the tide is changing and that it is time that he clears the air about people's thoughts on him so he can get a fresh start at his next school.
“I’m just ready to bring the old version of me out and change the narrative of everyone’s thinking on my name [and] be a part of a real and a great program that’s going to impact me at my best ability,” he said. “[I’m] ready to get to a new place and get to work.”
So, McClain also thinks that Colorado is not a real or great program? And you guys thought that I was the only one...
McClain did not get into specifics as to why left the Buffaloes, and he did not mention Prime by name, but you could read between the lines when you watch the video and you could feel the venom coming out.
Sanders mentioned last week, and also last fall, that McClain was suffering in the classroom and that was why he had no playing time to speak of until Travis Hunter went down with a lacerated liver.
“I’m always in prayer for young men, and I want the best for them,” Sanders said. “And I pray to God that he goes to a program that challenges him, as well as holds him accountable and develops him as a young man."
Sanders then spoke of McClain as if he was not a hard worker, not just in the classroom, but on the field as well.
“Unfortunately we weren’t the program that could accomplish that, so preferably he understands that this is the second go-round and get it — go get it man, because he has a tremendous amount of talent. But he has to want it.”
McClain shut that down real quick.
“It was never the school part just to clear that up with you guys,” McClain said, adding that he “got As and Bs” at Colorado. “Staying on top of school is the biggest impact right now.”
Colorado has lost 24 players to the transfer portal this spring. They also lost another 12 from November to March. The transfer bug is running rampant in Boulder. Players are leaving at a faster speed than they are coming in.
“We’re good. I trust the recruiting team. I trust our coaches, and please have some faith in me,” Sanders said of the exodus last week. “We good. We all right. We all right.”
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