Gators 2022 Enrollee Profile: DL Chris McClellan
Photo: Chris McClellan; Credit: Alex Shepherd
Chris McClellan, Defensive Lineman
School: Owasso (Okla.)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 307 pounds
SI All-American Ranking: No. 7 defensive lineman; No. 79 overall prospect (SI99)
Recruitment History
The Florida Gators were hot on McClellan's trail early on during the process led by the former staff and head coach Dan Mullen. That remained true throughout the coaching change to head coach Billy Napier, and Florida was able to land the standout defensive lineman out of Oklahoma.
McClellan would take a couple of official visits to Florida, one prior to his commitment that took place early in June of last year, and another following his Nov. 23 commitment on Dec. 12, just before Early Signing Day, which was permitted due to the staff change.
Ultimately, McClellan would sign with Florida on ESD and he enrolled early before spring this year.
"Obviously, it hurts anybody whenever you lose a staff that recruited you, but coach Napier has a really good head on the shoulders, and he has a great plan," McClellan said in January.
His recruitment to Florida by Napier and his staff gave him the confidence to stick with his early decision.
In addition to his high ranking on SI All-American, McClellan was also a highly rated player from other outlets. He was ranked as a four-star prospect, the No. 16 defensive lineman, the No 121 player in the 2022 recruiting class and the No. 3 player in all of Oklahoma.
Where McClellan Fits
The Gators made room in their 2022 recruiting plans for four defensive linemen, including McClellan, DL Jamari Lyons, EDGE Jack Pyburn and DL Andrew Savaiinaea.
McClellan fits in a different mold than the other players, as he will be slotted on the interior of the DL fairly early on at Florida. As a pass-rusher, McClellan presents plenty of talent, able to get to the quarterback. During his final season at the prep level, McClellan secured five sacks and 13 hurries in just 10 games.
You can check out McClellan's SI All-American scouting report below.
Leanly built his way up to 290 on his way from defensive end to defensive tackle. Nice length. After watching his film, the first thing that sticks out is his long arms and his ability to quickly strike-and-shed blockers. He has good feet to match a very strong build. Great closing burst for a lineman.
It looks like he set up blockers for his moves, based on how effective some of his swims are. McClellan can get skinny through a gap when he needs to. Skilled when slanting into gaps. Fantastic pad level throughout his film. Active hands with a nasty punch. Easily manipulates blocker’s shoulder pads. Violent in every facet of his game. Solid tackler. He does most of his damage in between the tackles, slanting or stemming and disrupting. Every time the ball is snapped, he seems to have a plan for how he is attacking each blocker. Because he attacks with a plan in mind, he maximizes his already imposing physicality.
Florida is in serious need of help at the defensive tackle position. They recently allowed DT Christopher Thomas to walk, cutting him from the roster, and lost thee tackles to graduation heading into the year.
Though the team has a couple of capable pieces on its roster, there is still a void with depth and that's where McClellan will come in. Expect the true freshman to get some playing time early during his career, especially since he was able to take part in spring practice prior to his first season in Gainesville.
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