4-star defensive lineman Chris McClellan commits to Florida
Four-star Owasso (Okla.) defensive lineman Chris McClellan has committed to Florida, he announced Tuesday.
McClellan is the No. 99 prospect in the 2022 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is ranked as the nation’s No. 14 defensive lineman and No. 3 player in the state of Oklahoma.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder chose the Gators over nearly three dozen offers, including LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, and others. He is the Florida’s 12th commit in the 2022 cycle, joining four-star quarterback Nick Evers, four-star wideout Jayden Gibson, and four-star defensive lineman Jamari Lyons.
He also becomes their highest-rated recruit in the class. The Gators previous three highest-ranked commits — Mobile (Ala.) Faith Academy four-star linebacker Shemar James, Houston Clear Lake four-star cornerback Julian Humphrey, Buford (Ga.) four-star athlete Isaiah Bond — all decommitted from the school.
Florida had the No. 28 class in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking heading into Tuesday. It is has jumped into the top 20, reaching the No. 19 slot in the rankings.
The Gators jumped ahead of schools such as USC, Auburn, Michigan State and Tennessee.
Chris McClellan took visits to Florida, Ohio State and USC this summer and Oklahoma and Alabama this fall. While some of the others dropped back in recent weeks, the Gators remained firm on him. However, his commitment comes just two days after Florida head coach Dan Mullen was fired. When the next head coach takes over, they are likely to bring in their own staff, which won’t have recruited McClellan.
Mullen’s firing did not make McClellan reconsider his decision.
“I love the program that much,” McClellan told CBS Sports during the broadcast of his commitment. “I know that’s where I wanted to be at so that’s where I’m going.”