Now that we are halfway through the season, it’s a good spot to revisit whether or not some players have lived up to their billing in 2026. Just so one doesn’t think we are negative all the time, we did take a look this morning at the three most pleasant surprises of the season.
But just like there are surprises, there are disappointments too. And given the amount of NIL money fans are asked to cough up to pay these guys, it’s not unfair to point out some disapointments.
So these are the three players who haven’t quite played at the level Gator fans dreamed of over the offseason.
The three most disappointing players on Florida’s roster halfway through the season
Cormani McClain
Coming into the season, most Gator fans felt decent about the state of the cornerbacks. On paper, Florida had Ben Hanks III and Cornmani McClain to hold things down. Given that they were both top 50 overall prospects from their respective recruiting classes, the question marks were aimed at Florida’s safeties.
Hanks hasn’t been amazing either, but McClain has looked downright unplayable at times. The irony is that his completion percentage against is actually in the middle of the pack among starting corners nationwide, but part of the perceived issue is that he's been targeted 27 times and has only one PBU to show for it.
His lack of physicality also contributes to his 13.9-yard ADOT against, 147th out of 173 cornerbacks nationwide with at least 150 coverage snaps. In other words, he isn’t jamming anyone at the line or rerouting anyone, so when guys are targeted, they are 14 yards downfield on average.
LJ McCray
Speaking of former five-stars, one of the offseason narratives was whether or not LJ McCray was going to piece things together in 2026. He had a quiet freshman year in 2024, and he was hurt in 2025. But there was hope he could flash what made him a big time prospect once upon a time.
That simply hasn’t happened, as McCray has only six total tackles this year and just one sack. Against Ole Miss and Missouri, he generated zero QB pressures. He took 47 snaps against FAU and was immediately relegated to a rotational role where he hasn’t taken more than 21 snaps in a single game since.
Keep in mind, 247 had him as the No. 4 overall prospect of the class of 2024. McCray was ranked ahead of South Carolina EDGE Dylan Stewart in that class. Stewart is more than likely a 1st round NFL pick in 2027 while McCray is still working to find his place.
Eric Singleton Jr.
This one isn’t necessarily his fault, as he got rolled up on during Florida’s first offensive drive of the season. He has been back on the field, but he has been a shell of what fans were hoping for when he opted to come to Florida out of the transfer portal.
Keep in mind, when Singleton played at Georgia Tech under Buster Faulkner, he posted back-to-back seasons with over 700 yards receiving. This year, he has just three catches for 50 yards.
There is still hope if he can get healthy, but given the offseason hype, it has been a letdown.
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