When it comes to Cormani McClain, the stars always wrote a tough script. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear McClain’s name? The young chap who dragged Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders through the mud with his ‘play for clicks’ allegations raised against his former team.

While jumping out of Deion’s wagon, McClain claimed, “I’m just ready to bring the old version of me out and change the narrative of everyone’s thinking on my name, be a part of a real and a great program.” A year later, the cornerback is still chasing his dream. But one thing has been the same: he has found his mom, Kaishay, through thick and thin. And moving into the 2025 season, what better boost than mom’s hype?  

On August 20, Kaishay posted a collage on her IG story. The caption read, “Proud of you son ♥️.” The collage had a picture of McClain from 2024 and one from 2025. And the first thing that fans can spot is those arms. McClain has definitely hit the weight room harder and has bulked himself up. He was ranked as the No. 1 defensive back in the college football recruiting Class of 2023. However, his tumultuous freshman season was marred by a lot of controversy related to his behavior. 

When the 6-foot-2 McClain arrived at Colorado, he was skinny, weighing 165 pounds. Billy Napier’s Florida Gators listed him on the roster at 175 last season. But those arms, they definitely are not lying. His shoulders look like boulders after. And that’s definitely a good sign for Napier and co. After all, the Gators’ defense will need to take the pressure off of DJ Lagway. On that note, a newly-jacked McClain is slated to play a much bigger role as a junior than he did as a sophomore or at Colorado. 

On August 19, LockedOnBuffs tweeted, “Cormani McClain seems to have figured things out at Florida. Went from being listed as 165 pounds at Colorado to 189 pounds at Florida.” Photos of the cornerback surfaced, and the fans went gaga over how McClain had filled out his 6-foot-2 frame. Now, this is not the first time the young chap turned heads with his transformation.

Back in March, this year, he had given a glimpse. The All Gators IG account made a post. It revealed, “Gators’ strength coach Tyler Miles says CB Cormani McClain has put on 20 pounds this offseason and has hit a top speed of 23 mph.” What did Coach Tyler Miles say about McClain? “Cormani has been phenomenal. And not just putting on weight. Like he has conducted himself extremely well. I’m extremely proud of Cormani… He’s put on 20 pounds… he ran 23 miles an hour. He never ran that fast last year. And he weighs 20 pounds more and is running a whole mile per hour faster,” he sounded all confident. Now, all these efforts, is it a revenge for the Napier snub?

Cormani McClain’s slow start in Billy Napier’s Florida

Last year, around September, PolkWay came with an injury report. It read, “Cormani McClain not listed, do we see him against TAMU this week as his Gator debut 👀.” In the 2024 season, McClain only played two games. One against Georgia, where he came up with 4 tackles, and one against Kentucky, where he could only come up with one tackle. Theories started to rage on what made Napier make McClain sit on the sidelines. Some said he was too small and needed to build himself into a bigger force. At the same time, McClain was carrying the burden of the “locker room cancer” tag. 

As GatorsOnline analyst Nick de la Torre reported, “I was told that Cormani McClain has been late to most of the requirements (meetings, lift, etc)… Essentially, you get a warning, then you have to do extra run/lift… which he’s shown up late to ask well.” Even amidst all this hoopla, did Kaishay turn her back towards her son?

No way. Back when McClain locked horns with the Buffs, Kaishay fought for her son. She shared, “Gotta be somewhere where you’re appreciated and not just tolerated!!!” Finally, the mother and son’s wish came true. Napier’s Gators put the cornerback on scholarship. Kaishay did not miss a chance to show her gratitude, “God is amazing ❤️ Thankful for the whole staff at UF 🐊.”

A mother’s trust thus paid off. So, this Mother’s Day, Cormani McClain thought of doing something special for his hypewoman. He posted a photo of Kaishay holding his poster. No long cheesy paragraphs, McClain’s two emojis, “❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹,” spoke a million. It definitely showed that Kaishay was the one who healed McClain’s wounds. Now, his moment has arrived to show Deion and Colorado what they gave up.