2022 DL Chris McClellan Slates Gators in Top 6
The Gators see a priority target take a big step in his recruitment process.
On Wednesday afternoon, defensive line prospect Chris McClellan released his list of top six schools in contention for the remainder of his recruitment. Including the Gators alongside home state Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio State, LSU and USC, McClellan cut his prestigious list of options down from 35.
Ranked as the 79th overall player in the nation by Sports Illustrated All-American, McClellan is tabbed as the No. 7 interior defensive linemen in the class of 2022.
Below is a brief synopsis of the 6-foot-3, 295-pound lineman’s skillset. You can find the interior defensive lineman list here and the recently unveiled SI99 here.
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.
Making his way to UF on the first weekend of June, McClellan enjoyed his time in Gainesville and said that his visit gave the Gators a “boost” on the totem pole of his possible future homes.
Pushing to land the talented Owasso (Okla.) product are defensive line coach David Turner and quarterbacks — and Tulsa (Okla.) native — Garrick McGee.
Hoping to utilize the combined power of Turner’s esteemed resumé and McGee’s regional connection, Florida battles to land a game-changing entity on the defensive front.