When Cormani McClain didn’t sign with Miami during the early signing phase, the news outlet couldn’t stop buzzing about where the consensus 5-star recruit was.
There was still a chance McClain could stick with his original commitment or stay in his home state of Florida and select the Florida Gators’ flagship institution.
But as days went by, the two most likely schools became Alabama, home of college football’s most famous program, and Colorado, where Deion Sanders took over the program after a successful tenure at Jackson State.
Both schools had a legitimate reason for landing McClain: The Crimson Tide isn’t just still considered elite, if not the Elite, but Nick Saban and co. brought in their most talented recruit class in recent memory, including another 5-star flip in Iowa offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor. However, Colorado offered McClain what Alabama couldn’t, and this is an opportunity to be coached by one of the best coaches to ever play at the position. McClain said so when asked why Colorado was his choice.
Knowing why, it’s no surprise how Sanders was able to turn McClain around, but there are other factors that could be a sign that something is about to change in the recruiting landscape.
Firstly, the transfer portal. No, it’s not the same as recruiting talent from high school, but to see the results Sanders has achieved is impressive. According to 247Sports, Colorado is the No. 4 ranking for transfer teams, behind only LSU, Florida State and Auburn. Granted, the bulk of that includes the talent that followed him out of Jackson State, namely former 5-star recruit Travis Hunter and his son/quarterback Shedeur Sanders. But the alarming part is the amount of Power 5 talent being transferred to Colorado:
- CB Kyndrich Breedlove (Ole Miss)
- IOL Yousef Mugharbil (Florida)
- LB Vonta Bentley (Clemson)
- S. Myles Slusher (Arkansas)
- EDGE Jordan Domineck (Arkansas): T-3. in SEC with eight sacks
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In terms of traditional enlistment, the 2023 recruit class for Colorado already sits 29th after the addition of McClain, and the 2024 class is currently 17th. Signings for 2024 include defenseman Omar White, a 4-star recruit who has offers from Arkansas, Georgia, Michigan and — you guessed it — Alabama.
It’s still early in the 2023 recruitment cycle and one player won’t break the proverbial bank, but it will be interesting to see what Sanders does with a full year in Colorado. More importantly for Alabama fans, it will be more interesting to see if Sanders can hurt Alabama’s recruiting power, particularly at non-defense positions. Here are some names to keep in mind that both Alabama and Colorado rank among their top picks:
- 4 Star Security Jordon Johnson-Rubell, ’24, Forth Worth, Texas. Also includes Ole Miss, Texas, TCU and Oklahoma in the last 12
- 5-star ATH KJ Bolden, ’24, Buford, Georgia (No. 4 recruit in class). The top 15 also includes Georgia, Ohio State, LSU and Michigan
- 5-star cornerback Ellis Robinson IV, ’24 (No. 1 CB in class). Georgia, LSU and Miami round out his top 5
In other news…
Alabama running back commit Justice Haynes posted a video of him doing some work during a training session.
2024 4-star tight end Michael Smith is scheduled to announce his signing on Jan. 24 at 12:30 p.m. ET. It lies mainly between Alabama and Arkansas, among others.
See also: Is Alabama The Best Team In College Basketball? All CW
Alabama Lands Georgia LB from transfer portal
Tracking Alabama Players in the NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round