Cormani McClain – a five-star cornerback and the #2 player in the COUNTRY
(according to 247Sports) – verbally committed to the Miami Hurricanes on Thursday evening! This was a shocker to virtually everyone that follows recruiting. Miami was a player in the recruitment of “Money” but many, including myself, thought that Miami was running last in his Final 3 that consisted of Alabama, Florida and the aforementioned Canes. This is a really big deal for a handful of reasons.
The first, most obvious, is that Cormani is a phenomenal talent. As I was explaining to my wife, he’s ranked #2 of ALL the high school football players in the nation. Do you know how good you have to be to pull that off? Especially as a pure CB? Often times we see the top 1-5 players be quarterbacks, offensive linemen or defensive linemen. This kid is that good. He checks in at 6’2, 165lbs and is long and twitchy as he defends the outside. The recorded numbers say he runs a 4.5 40-yard dash, a 4.3 short shuttle and a 128-inch broad jump. That’s elite. He’s got Day 1 talent not only in college but on Draft Day as well.
The second reason this sent shockwaves through college football is because all who follow recruiting were expecting the Florida Gators to be the selection. All the recruiting experts for the major networks had predictions in for him to be a Gator by the end of the night. Cormani had been rumored to be a Gainesville “lean” going back to when Dan Mullen was the head man and Billy Napier picked up where Dan left off. Cormani has been reported as a regular visitor on the UF campus (though never for an official visit) and as they say, “watch the visits”. Where he plays his high school ball is also a factor here. The city of Lakeland has long been a University of Florida stronghold making it tough sledding for many programs, particularly Miami, to get commitments from the elite players in that area. Guess they forgot to tell Mario.
Lastly, this is superbly noteworthy because things aren’t going well for Mario and the Canes right now. The team is sitting at a very disappointing 3-4 on the season while injuries keep piling up. Football is about Xs & Os but also Jimmies and Joes so anytime you get the commitment of a talent like McClain it sends a jolt of energy into your program and fanbase. Who else notices? Other recruits. The age-old saying is “dogs want to play with dogs” so when kids who are considering Miami see a supreme player like Cormani commit there it makes their ears perk up and perhaps makes them think twice about going to Coral Gables. Mario is desperate to bring in more high level players and a whale like this often brings other fish with them.
It matters. Commitments like this matter. Mario has to be feeling really good right about now, even if it’s just for the moment. With all that being said, let’s be clear, it’s only a verbal commitment. Early National Signing Day isn’t until December and you can bet your bottom dollar every head coach in the country will continue to recruit Cormani as hard as ever until he puts pen to paper. For now, though, we’re liking how Money talks.
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