Follow Colorado cornerback Komani McClain as he plays at Washington State on Nov. 17. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
If Komani McClain is going to live up to the hype he generated as a high school freshman, it's not going to happen in Boulder.
On Tuesday, the former five-star prospect put his name in the transfer portal as the newest member of the Colorado football team.
McClain, a 6-foot-2, 165-pound sophomore, is rated by 247Sports.com as the No. 1 cornerback recruit out of high school in the 2023 class. His 247Sports rating is .9921, making him the fourth-highest rated player signed by the Buffaloes.
Several Buffs have officially moved on as the spring transfer portal window opened on Tuesday. In addition to McClain, receiver Jacob Page and offensive lineman David Conner were also among the latest players from CU to put their names in the transfer portal.
As previously announced, safeties Jaden Milliner-Jones and Myles Thrasher, offensive linemen Isaiah Jatta and Savion Washington, and defensive lineman Chaz Wallace also put their names in the portal on Tuesday.
Receiver Tarvarish Dawson and defensive end Devie Harris, who left the team earlier this year, have also officially entered the portal.
In less than 15 months, head coach Deion Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and considered by many to be the greatest corner player of all time, has entered a major recruiting battle for McClain. won. McClain said he chose the Buffs to be coached by Sanders.
A star athlete at Lakeland (Florida) High School, McClain committed to the University of California on January 19, 2023 and committed to Miami until signing with the Buffs on February 1, 2023. McClain chose the University of California over at least 25 other scholarship offers.
After a rocky first season, McClain has not participated in spring practice this year. On Thursday, cornerbacks coach Kevin Mathis said McClain “came back today and was running outside.”
Mattis added: “He's got to get back in shape. Once he does that, once he's done running, he'll be back on the football field.”
It hasn't been easy for McClain to be on the field since arriving late last summer.
McClain appeared in nine games last season, including four as a starter. He did not appear in the first three games of the season and did not take the field on defense until late in Game 4 at Oregon State, appearing in four games.
In late September, Sanders said McClain needed to study more, be better prepared and show up to meetings on time. As the season progressed, McClain saw more opportunities to be on the field, starting the final three games. He finished the year with 13 tackles and two pass breakups.
But in the offseason, the Buffs added DJ McKinney and Preston Hodge, who both had good springs, and another former five-star corner, Travis Hunter, continues to shine.
Conner, who transferred from Florida last year, missed the entire 2023 season due to injury. Paige was a member of CU's 2023 recruiting class coming out of high school and redshirted last season.
All told, CU officially had 10 players enter the portal on Tuesday. Unofficially, the Buffs have 11 scholarship spots available on him.
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