Transfer WR Elijhah Badger set to commit Friday, picking from trio of finalists

Arizona State transfer wideout Elijhah Badger is down to a trio of finalists and will announce his commitment on Friday, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett. Badger is down to Arizona, Florida and Washington as his finalists.

This year for the Sun Devils, he hauled in 65 catches for 713 yards and three touchdowns. His best game came in a 27-24 loss to Colorado, hauling in 12 catches for 134 yards.

In 2022, Badger had an even better season, hauling in 70 catches for 866 yards, while reeling in seven touchdown catches. Once again, he torched the Colorado secondary, hauling in eight catches for 137 yards. He had his season-high in receiving yards both in 2023 and 2022 against the Buffaloes.

Badger’s metrics in the past few years proved that he’s among the nation’s best at his position and he figures to be one of the most coveted receiver prospects in the portal. He was responsible for 41 of Arizona State’s 145 passing first downs in 2022 (28.3 percent), giving him the 33rd most first downs among all receivers during the regular season. Badger also forced 25 missed tackles, putting him first among all Pac-12 receivers and second amongst all receivers in the nation.

Badger was a dominant force during his high school football career with Folsom (Sacramento, California), ranking him as one of the best players in school history. Once he hung up his cleats there, he had hauled in 3,398 receiving yards on 183 catches and 52 receiving touchdowns.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Florida landed a major transfer this week

Former Colorado defensive back Cormani McClain has committed to transfer to Florida, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett & Pete Nakos. McClain only spent one season with the Buffaloes.

In McClain’s lone season with the Buffaloes, he tallied 13 tackles and two passes defended. His playing time gradually increased throughout the season. McClain started in Colorado’s final three games of the 2023 campaign.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders attributed McClain’s increased time on the field to the freshman’s improved mindset.

“He’s been a lot more focused,” Sanders said. “A lot more understanding of the expectation and what we want from him — that we’ve challenged him tremendously all year long. He stood up to the task over the last, probably, week and a half.

“I’m really, really proud of Cormani. I really am.”

A product of Lakeland High School (Fla.), Cormani McClain was a five-star prospect and the No. 13 overall player from the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

On3’s Wade Peery and Grant Grubbs contributed to this story.