Former Florida DL transferring to another SEC program

Defensive lineman Chris McClellan is leaving Gainesville, but he’ll stay in the SEC after announcing his commitment to the Missouri Tigers.

Former Florida defensive lineman [autotag]Chris McClellan[/autotag] announced his commitment to the Missouri Tigers on Tuesday, according to On3 Sports.

“I felt as if (the Missouri Tigers) are going to put me in the best position to make me successful and develop me over the next 2 years,” he said to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

McClellan spent two seasons with the Gators after committing to the program when it had no head coach. He quickly made his way into the defensive line rotation, appearing in all 25 games for Florida.

His lone start in the Orange and Blue came at the end of the 2023 season against Florida State. He leaves Gainesville with 46 total tackles (14 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and one fumble recovery. McClellan hit the transfer portal shortly after his position coach, Sean Spencer, was fired.

This is the third straight offseason where a Florida player has transferred to MU. Linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper made the jump in 2021 and defensive back  Tre’Vez Johnson followed suit in 2022. Both could return in 2023; although, McClellan never played with Hopper.

Missouri is losing two of its four most-used defensive linemen to graduation this offseason, so McClellan should have a chance to play right away.

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