Dude lasted 6 months at CU and another 4 at Florida.
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'23 FL CB Cormani McClain (Signed to COLORADO)
- Thread starter WasianCU
- Start date
Dude lasted 6 months at CU and another 4 at Florida.
Feels to me like a situation where someone is spectacular at something based on natural gifts, it allowed him to dominate without having to play by team rules or work extra hard, became entitled, and is now in a situation where he doesn't love all the things which go into being able to compete at this level, and is struggling with not being given a big payday and starting job based on talent alone. I don't know that someone like this all of a sudden has a lightbulb go on that he's got to mature into a dedicated professional or it all goes away.
I can think of guys who have flamed out from repeated bad behavior (anger, criminal, etc) and worked their way back and to the NFL. Can’t think of any guys who have been repeatedly booted for staggering levels of laziness.
Also have to wonder how much he really wants to play football. I've seen kids pushed into a sport at which they excelled due to natural talent but who didn't have the drive and desire to continue the sport at a higher level when that talent alone was no longer enough to carry them.
I remember very early in my teaching career when I was coaching basketball the wrestling team at the school had a kid who was likely to be the state champ at his weight class. His dad had put him in wrestling and pushed him since the age of 5 and while the kid was very good at it he was burned out on it.
He knew that his dad would never approve so he on his own did what he needed to get all of his graduation credits a semester early, graduated and since he was 18 by then was able to join the military and go without his dad's approval.
It had been his dad's dream to have a kid who was a state champ (something dad himself had fallen short of) and it caused a huge rift between them but the kid was done with living his dad's dream and moved on.
Wonder if Cormani is playing football because others expect him to instead of because he wants to.
Really going after that D Scott award here, Cormani
This really gives credence to CP's efforts. CP put up with a lot more than Napier did in a few months. It seems like once Cormani left CU, the culture improved. Nationally, this should now focus on the player rather than CP.
Almost like it was a Cormani problem. Maybe when he decides to take accountability he will get it together.
The dude posts the news and then post this saying "stop the narratives". You can't make this **** up
"..that locked room..." makes it sound like he is in jail.
Hopefully, he puts it together, the dude has loads of potential.
That was posted two days before he posted the news.
Aww ****. I saw it attached to his original tweet and obviously didn't check the date.
GRM
I'm a ****ty troll
If CM is suspended (is he suspended?), sidelined, or washes out for the season, he will be one of those guys where their off-season is so long without quality snaps, that he is just done--JUCO would be it. We talk about immaturity, character, stupid decisions, lazy, irresponsible etc... All of those could apply. On a deeper dive, I think he has the feel to me of maybe three or four things, any combo works: (1) he might be one of those guys that "likes" the game of football, but just does not "love" it--rarely does this work in any sport, job, or profession; (2) a guy that has no clue how to fight through adversity or maybe has not done it before--those tools may not exist yet; (3) a guy that is burnt out--fb has probably been the center of his universe since elem school, and it is now much harder, more physical and rigorous--the drive may not be there now and he may not thrive on contact; and/or (4) maybe he is a guy that is inwardly shy, once that adversity hits--he is alone and really a bundle of nerves out there--fb, peers, and the classroom.
Greg Maddux the HOF pitcher (best control pitcher of my time) had a fairly rough go in the minors and early majors. He had the MLB arm, so he made the Cubs. He was a quiet guy. After he made it on top (about after his 2nd CY) he gave a very contrite and long insightful interview--his breakthrough was a sports psychologist. I was amazed at him sharing all different things going through his head during those early years when he was on the mound: I can't pitch, I can't throw strikes, the fielder will boot the ball; if I miss a pitch a fraction, it is in the seats; if I throw inside the catcher may miss it or I'll hit someone (same with a throw over to 1st base); if give up a hit or run & all is lost; the batter is fouling balls off, so he is definitely onto me, I'm all alone on the out there--he was making himself physically ill out there and the mound was the last place that he wanted to be. He went to the sports psychologist because he was having "no fun" and could continue living like that. He had minor depression. In sum, GM was a total head case (I could not believe what was going on in his head--like a tornado), and once he worked on that, he solved it and was special thereafter.
Randy Moss is a guy that sort of amazes me. His post-HS and college journey was one thing after another, but he met the adversity, kept that self-belief, and grew out of it. He is a smart guy, marches to the beat of his own drummer, and made bad some decisions in his youth. He overcame that adversity. Also, I would love the insight of someone like Phil Loadholt who went the JUCO route due to grades, and whether that particular experience made him more prepared to shine once he landed at OU, over the alternative of playing DIV P-5 football as a Frosh or Soph w/ the classroom struggles. Grades kept PL out, but that could have been a blessing is disguise.
I hope CM gets it together somehow. He appears to be a real project at this point. CFB is an odd one. The recruiting rankings are all built on hype, measurables at the time, camps against peers your age, and these days really snapshots of your performance 13-18. There is nothing built in about "how a kid will grow up." I do not even thing CFP uses things to help predict measurables (i.e. X-rays of growth plates etc...). We presume the advanced college meal plans, lifting, etc... that makes these guys grow, but Yuri Wright just never grew over 170. Then there is the enormous pressure to perform early as a 5* recruit--can all guys handle that? Also, a kids true character can be masked somewhat by the people surrounding him--he can pull if off during visit(s), but is that a mask. I will say this in CFB's defense, there are more resources available for these guys, however they have to use them.
Greg Maddux the HOF pitcher (best control pitcher of my time) had a fairly rough go in the minors and early majors. He had the MLB arm, so he made the Cubs. He was a quiet guy. After he made it on top (about after his 2nd CY) he gave a very contrite and long insightful interview--his breakthrough was a sports psychologist. I was amazed at him sharing all different things going through his head during those early years when he was on the mound: I can't pitch, I can't throw strikes, the fielder will boot the ball; if I miss a pitch a fraction, it is in the seats; if I throw inside the catcher may miss it or I'll hit someone (same with a throw over to 1st base); if give up a hit or run & all is lost; the batter is fouling balls off, so he is definitely onto me, I'm all alone on the out there--he was making himself physically ill out there and the mound was the last place that he wanted to be. He went to the sports psychologist because he was having "no fun" and could continue living like that. He had minor depression. In sum, GM was a total head case (I could not believe what was going on in his head--like a tornado), and once he worked on that, he solved it and was special thereafter.
Randy Moss is a guy that sort of amazes me. His post-HS and college journey was one thing after another, but he met the adversity, kept that self-belief, and grew out of it. He is a smart guy, marches to the beat of his own drummer, and made bad some decisions in his youth. He overcame that adversity. Also, I would love the insight of someone like Phil Loadholt who went the JUCO route due to grades, and whether that particular experience made him more prepared to shine once he landed at OU, over the alternative of playing DIV P-5 football as a Frosh or Soph w/ the classroom struggles. Grades kept PL out, but that could have been a blessing is disguise.
I hope CM gets it together somehow. He appears to be a real project at this point. CFB is an odd one. The recruiting rankings are all built on hype, measurables at the time, camps against peers your age, and these days really snapshots of your performance 13-18. There is nothing built in about "how a kid will grow up." I do not even thing CFP uses things to help predict measurables (i.e. X-rays of growth plates etc...). We presume the advanced college meal plans, lifting, etc... that makes these guys grow, but Yuri Wright just never grew over 170. Then there is the enormous pressure to perform early as a 5* recruit--can all guys handle that? Also, a kids true character can be masked somewhat by the people surrounding him--he can pull if off during visit(s), but is that a mask. I will say this in CFB's defense, there are more resources available for these guys, however they have to use them.
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GRM
I'm a ****ty troll
It does seem like there are so many stories and journeys for guys that make it to the NFL. I'm not sure it is laziness per se, but if that is it--that is hard to overcome. He may not like the adversity, nor have the tools to deal with them at this point in his life.
Don't leave out @buffs233
At least D. Scott managed to do enough to stick around in school for 3 years. Don't know if he ever finished a degree and after injuring his knee he didn't have much of a college career but he didn't fail anywhere close to what Cormani has done so far.
Cormani may go down as one of biggest waste of natural talent ever.
ahoelsken
Well-Known Member
I don't see how any power conference coach is giving him an opportunity right now. If I'm him, I'd go to FIU for a year, bust my ass for FHCMM, and then try and get another power conference chance.
It will be very interesting to see where he ends up. Best guess is a D-2 program or Juco where he can be humbled a little. Best case scenario for him is he gets his head screwed on straight and turns some heads at the NFL combine in three years.
Northeastern State lock. Chev can fix him
MacIntyre is a damn good DB coach. That would seem to be a good landing spot to get on the field while getting development
This is the issue though. If he isn't going to bust his ass for Prime or Napier with what he has on the line don't see anything about MM and FIU that is going to change him.
Don't know that if I were FHCMM I'd want him. If he works out he just transfers out in a year under the new rules, if he doesn't he's wasting a spot in the program on a guy who demonstrates bad habits and becomes a negative distraction.
A JC is probably the next stop.
JonSergeantMajor
Well-Known Member
At this point, no self-respecting P4 program will even look at this kid. Too risky and too toxic to push for a guy that has consistently given absolutely zero ****s!
As the saying goes…a million-dollar talent, but a ten-cent brain.
I think that college recruiters should’ve taken notice that every time they came by to visit him, he was always in ISS (in-school suspension).
I’ve seen so many kids like Cormani in my life, and it’s just sad. A male role model would’ve done wonders for him, but his dad is a deadbeat and, unfortunately, it looks like Cormani is cursed to repeat the same path.
It just shows you how important a healthy two-parent household is in a young person’s life. Something like 90%-95% of all serial killers come from single-parent households. That **** can’t be a coincidence!