Recruiting Rundown: Cormani McClain is Coming Off The Board

The second-ranked player in the SI99 makes his decision October 27th.

Cormani McClain is the highest-ranked defensive player in the 2023 recruiting class, and come October 27th, the Lakeland, Florida native will announce the next step in his football career. 

McClain, who is ranked only behind Dante Moore in the 2023 SI99 prospect rankings, will decided on Thursday between the Florida Gators, head south to the Miami Hurricanes, or leave the state altogether and play for Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Alabama already has Jahlil Hurley, the No. 2 corner in the class according to 247 Sports, while the Hurricanes will have Robert Stafford, the No. 14 corner, committed to the program. The Gators top cornerback prospect is 4-star recruit Ja'Keem Jackson.

A big factor when it comes to McClain's decision is the location. I wrote a previous rundown detailing how recruits may be more inclined to stay closer to homer (the same can possibly be said about James Smith and Qua Russaw, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it). The other top corners for the in-state programs are both from Florid: Jackson is from Kissimmee and Stafford is from Melbourne.

That said, the pedigree of cornerbacks that Alabama's recruited could be a selling point for McClain to move to Tuscaloosa, and the potential to have both of the top recruits at the position is hard to pass up.

Of course we won't know how McClain will turn out until he plays at the next level, and it's a tad premature, but given how the corners for the Tide have played this season, specifically against Tennessee, it might be some extra motivation to get McClain on campus. 

We will see if McClain will take his talents to Tuscaloosa on October 27th.