Whenever Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders heads off to a press conference, we're all waiting with bated breath because he always says something headline-worthy, and his most recent didn't disappoint when asked about a freshman 5-star recruit.
During the press conference, Sean Keeler of The Denver Post asked Sanders, "You mentioned last week that Cormani [McClain] seeing the field was up to Cormani. I wondered if you could elaborate on what you want to see him do, one, and two, did he help his case..."
Some head coaches would never say this publicly about a coveted 5 star recruit who can?t get playing time, strictly out of fear of negative recruiting. I respect that Deion says what he expects out loud, all the time. ????? pic.twitter.com/74W2t0JkBs
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) September 26, 2023
Then, "Coach Prime" interrupted, saying, "Study. Prepare. Study. Prepare. Be on time for meetings. Show up to the darn meetings. Understand what we're doing as a scheme. Want to play this game. Desire to play this game. Desire to be the best in this game, at practice, in the film room. Uh, and on your own free time. You do know that I check film time for each player... I need film time from the whole staff, so I can see who's been preparing and that's not just about Cormani, that's about a multitude of them. So if I don't see that, you would be a fool to put somebody out there unprepared. Can't do it. Won't do it. Can't do it. I'm old school, I'm sorry," the first-year Buffaloes coach said, appearing a bit revved up.
Keeler responded, saying, "Did Oregon help in that regard... You got out there late..."
Sanders, 56, interrupted again, saying, "Shoot, I thought about putting *you* out there at one point," as the other reporters laughed.
Then Keeler comments about the Denver Broncos getting beaten down, and Sanders tells Keeler to leave them alone and says their head coach, Sean Payton, is "his guy."
We certainly don't see something like this happen often with a head coach who openly calls out his five-star recruit and says "the quiet thing out loud."
McClain was a 5-star recruit and the No. 1 cornerback in the class of 2023. However, even with Travis Hunter out against Oregon, the young freshman didn't sniff the field. The questions about McClain's availability have been answered, as Sanders clearly doesn't feel like the young man has done enough to be prepared to play on Saturdays.
Stream #1 Georgia vs. Auburn live this Sat., 9/30 at 3:30PM ET with the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME® plan. Try it FREE!
The Buffaloes host the USC Trojans this weekend, coming off a massive 42-6 loss on the road against the Oregon Ducks. Now, we look to see if McClain, a freshman cornerback, will hit the field.
