Florida football recruiting: Four-star 2022 DL Chris McClellan commits despite coaching change

By Adam Silverstein
November 23, 2021
Florida football recruiting: Four-star 2022 DL Chris McClellan commits despite coaching change
Football

Image Credit: GatorsFB / Twitter

A seemingly endless string of negative recruiting news for the Florida Gators paused Tuesday when four-star defensive lineman Chris McClellan (Owasso, OK) verbally committed to the program. He chose the Gators over a stacked offer list including Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC.

McClellan (6-foot-3, 295 pounds) becomes the highest-rated pledge in the class ranked No. 101 overall in the 247Sports Composite for the Class of 2022. This after Florida has lost three top-100 recruits over the last few weeks.

In announcing his commitment, McClellan stated he was not concerned about the Gators firing head coach Dan Mullen because he was committing to the program, not the coach, and was confident Florida would bring in a top-tier hire. McClellan was long believed to be a UF lean who appeared to fall in love with the university despite it being relatively far from his home in Oklahoma.

After falling sharply from the 20s to the No. 43 overall recruiting class in the 247Sports Composite team rankings, McClellan’s commitment boosts Florida back to No. 30 as the Gators hope to close the 2022 cycle with some momentum once they hire a new coach. This could be a first step in the right direction should Florida be able to make a move soon.

The early signing period begins Dec. 15, and McClellan will enroll early for spring practice. The Gators currently have just 12 players committed in the Class of 2022 after losing the aforementioned three top-100 pledges.

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