Elite 2023 CB Cormani McClain Unofficially Visits Florida Gators

Lake Gibson (Fla.) 2023 cornerback Cormani McClain unofficially stopped by Florida's campus on Saturday.

The weekend of June 18-20 has been highlighted by a shortlist of official visitors at the University of Florida, but a top prospect in the class of 2023 made a stop by campus as well.

Lake Gibson (Lakeland, Fla.) cornerback and wide receiver Cormani McClain unofficially visited UF on Saturday, his third stop after previously seeing Florida State and UCF earlier in the month since in-person recruiting began on June 1.

McClain was able to meet with new cornerbacks coach Jules Montinar, who was hired by UF in January. McClain had previously been offered by coach Torrian Gray in November, before his departure from the staff. McClain has remained close with assistant director of player personnel, Keiwan Ratliff, as well.

"It's been good, but it's getting closer and better," McClain said of his relationship with Montinar, speaking with AllGators exclusively after his visit on Saturday.

Montinar has made McClain aware that he's a fan of the length, reach and ball skills that McClain brings to the cornerback position, as he stands at 6-foot-1 and possesses long arms that come in handy when making plays in the ball. Moving to cornerback in 2020 after injuries popped up at the position, McClain's frame and ability to play the ball led to a whopping nine interceptions during the season.

Despite a busy schedule with official visitors from the class of 2022, McClain also met with Gators head coach Dan Mullen, who gave McClain the inside scoop about the process, "keeping it a buck with me about recruitment."

McClain shared that his favorite takeaway from the trip was the new football facility, the James W. "Bill" Heavener Football Training Center. "Everything will be new, like new cafeteria and pools and stuff," McClain described of the project, which is currently under construction.

McClain plans to continue making unofficial visits in the near future - keep in mind, he can't begin taking official visits until August 1 as a member of the class of 2023. He plans to eventually return to Florida, and has prioritized treks to Ohio State and Alabama for when his schedule allows.


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Zach Goodall
ZACH GOODALL

Zach Goodall is the publisher of AllGators.com on FanNation-Sports Illustrated, serving as a beat reporter covering football, recruiting, and occasionally other sports since 2019.  Before moving to Gainesville, Zach spent four years covering the Jacksonville Jaguars for SB Nation (2015-18) and Locked On Podcast Network (2017-19), originally launching his sports journalism career as a junior in high school. He also covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for FanNation-Sports Illustrated (2020-22). In addition to writing and reporting, Zach is a sports photographer and videographer who primarily shoots football and basketball games, practices and related events. When time permits in the 24/7 media realm, Zach enjoys road trips, concerts, golf and microbreweries.