Florida State loses rotational wide receiver to NCAA Transfer Portal

The Seminoles enter the beginning of the spring semester slightly over the 85-player scholarship limit. That means attrition can still be expected over the next couple of months as the program works towards finalizing its 2023 roster.

On Wednesday afternoon, Florida State lost a member of its rotation on offense as sophomore wide receiver Malik McClain elected to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. A high-upside skill player, McClain appeared in all 25 of the Seminoles' games over the last two years.

Florida State WR Malik McClain has entered the transfer portal.

McClain appeared in 25 games, caught 33 passes for 396 yd and 5 touchdowns during his career at FSU.

TRANSFER TRACKER https://t.co/DPSnLfpDbo
— NCAA Transfer Portal (@RivalsPortal) January 11, 2023

The Florida native displayed a ton of potential but struggled to put the full picture together consistently. With a plethora of talent returning to the room next season, it was unlikely that McClain would play a larger role than he did this year, especially with redshirt senior Winston Wright expected to return to the playing field in the spring.

Veteran wide receiver and starter Ontaria Wilson moved on following the season but fellow starters, Johnny Wilson and Mycah Pittman will be back in garnet and gold. Outside of that, Ja'Khi Douglas, Kentron Poitier, Deuce Spann, Darion Williamson, and Joshua Burrell all have experience within the system. The coaching staff is also bringing in five-star Hykeem Williams, four-star Vandrevius Jacobs, and three-star Goldie Lawrence from the high school ranks.

McClain caught 17 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns while appearing in all 13 games, with three starts, in 2022. He had a three-game stretch where he recorded back-to-back touchdowns in wins over Syracuse and Louisiana before totaling 44 yards in the regular-season finale victory against Florida.

In total, McClain appeared in 25 games, with 12 starts, across his two years at Florida State, recording 33 catches for 396 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed one time for six yards.

It's anticipated that McClain will have three years to play two at his next stop. He's the 14th player from Florida State to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal since the conclusion of the regular season.

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