Deion Sanders gives honest answer on how Cormani McClain can earn playing time

One of the biggest early wins on the recruiting trail for coach Deion Sanders at Colorado was Florida defensive back Cormani McClain.

Sanders landed the five-star prospect, who was the No. 13 overall recruit in the country, making an immediate statement about the caliber of his program and the quality of recruits it could pull. To date, though, McClain hasn’t had much of an impact on the field for the Buffaloes.

He’s been relegated to mostly spot duty in mop-up action or garbage time.

So what exactly does the former high school phenom have to do to earn more playing time for Sanders at Colorado? Sanders made it pretty clear on Tuesday.

“Study, prepare. Study, prepare, be on time for meetings,” Sanders said. “Show up to the darned 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 and on your own free time.”

Essentially, buy-in seems to be the issue, though it’s not atypical for true freshmen to struggle with the adjustment to the college level. It’s one thing to star for Lakeland High School in Florida, it’s another to do so at the Power 5 level.

And simply knowing what he’s supposed to do and how seems to be a big part of the equation for McClain.

“You do know that I check film time for each player upon the week,” Sanders said. “Thursday I need film times from the whole staff so I can see who’s been preparing. And that’s just not about Cormani, that’s about a multitude of individuals. 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.”

McClain, though, played late in the game against Oregon last week. Sanders indicated that wasn’t so much a reward as a side effect of being blown out.

“Well the score, shoot, I started to put you out there at one point,” Sanders told the reporter who asked about Cormani McClain making an appearance.

What is clear is that McClain is dripping with potential if he can put it all together.

He was ranked as the top cornerback in the nation in the 2023 class and the No. 3 player in the state of Florida, coming out of Lakeland. Coming out of high school, On3 compared him to former Clemson cornerback Trayvon Mullen, a high second-round NFL Draft pick.