Florida Football: Pros and cons of the Gators adding Cormani McClain

Con: McClain was downright bad on the field

Take away any of the perceived drama off the field, and the reality is that on the field he wasn't good.

We have highlighted this stat before, but McClain had a missed tackle rate of 37.5% in 2023. Of the 481 cornerbacks in the country who took at least 200 snaps during the 2023 season, McClain had quite literally the worst missed tackle rate in the country.

He was also targeted 25 times and gave up 18 receptions for an average of 21.1 yards per catch. That's the 9th worst yards per reception among corners and the 33rd worst completion rate allowed among corners who took at least 200 snaps.

Pro: Gainesville has a defensive backs coach who has coached FBS before

McClain's position coach in Boulder was Kevin Mathis. Much like Sanders, the 2023 season was the first time ever Mathis had coached at the FBS level. Prior to that Mathis was with Sanders at Jackson State for three years, which was his first coaching job in college.

And while his bio for Colorado claims improvements while at Jackson State, it also helps he had Travis Hunter and Shilo Sanders, who transferred in from South Carolina, to beat up on the SWAC.

In Gainesville he would be coached by Will Harris. While new to Florida and a young coach in his own right, Harris has previous Power Five experience and is credited with some solid secondaries while at Washington.

Plus, based on everything we can tell from practice and his press conferences, Harris is no-nonsense and will push McClain as Sanders hopes.