It's been a brutal start to his college career for Cormani McClain. But the rumors surrounding the new Florida Gators cornerback appear to be false.
Rumors had swirled around the internet that McClain had been dismissed from the Gators program. Those rumors have since been debunked, but head coach Billy Napier was asked about the situation during SEC Media Days.
Here's what Napier had to say about the rumors.
"[McClain] is doing fine," Napier explained. "I think a lot of this has been blown out of proportion. I think he's a young player. Obviously, we're well aware of his history. Cormani's a local kid from Lakeland. He's got relationships with players on our team. We run a tight ship. There's structure, there's routine, there's discipline, there's accountability."
McClain was a 5-star recruit out of Lakeland, Florida back in 2023. After initially committing to play for the Miami Hurricanes, McClain changed his mind to follow Deion Sanders and play for the Colorado Buffaloes.
That didn't last long, however. McClain only played in a handful of games, and was publicly called out by Coach Prime regarding his work ethic during the 2023 season. McClain ended up transferring to Florida this offseason, and Napier admitted that makes things difficult for the talented cornerback to get up to speed.
"It's hard these days. You're in the minority if you show up in June, much less middle of June, because you're a couple weeks later. It is what it is. He's had a great week so far this week. He's gained 10 pounds. He's learning expectations. He's learning culture. He's doing just fine. He's going to be OK."
Gators fans are hoping that a fresh start at Florida is exactly what McClain needs to reach his full potential and develop into a college football star.
