Florida football’s 2022 campaign will be a transition year for the program as it shifts gears from the Dan Mullen era straight ahead into new head coach Billy Napier’s debut season. Alongside the turnover seen among the coaching staff have also been changes in the personnel on the field, with players departing to the pros as well as through the transfer portal, while some also arriving through the latter.
All of this turmoil makes Napier’s first recruiting class — much of which is a holdover from the previous regime — even more important as the team looks to bounce back from a very disappointing 2021 season. 247Sports’ Chris Hummer recently published his list of 100 true freshmen who matter this coming fall and included one neophyte Gator from the 2022 class: defensive lineman [autotag]Chris McClellan[/autotag]. Here is what he had to say.
McClellan arrived at Florida with college-ready size and that showed in spring ball. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound interior lineman looked like someone who could contribute in the SEC right away, which is huge for a Gators program in need of depth along the defensive interior (and still looking for help in the portal). Look for McClellan to be in the rotation at defensive tackle behind [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag].
The four-star lineman out of Owasso (Oklahoma) in the 2022 recruiting cycle ranked No. 113 overall and No. 16 nationally at his position, per the 247Sports Composite, while ranking Nos. 121 and 16, respectively, according to the On3 Consensus. If he can take the step forward that Hummer is suggesting the Gators would get a massive boost on its D-line — an area of great need heading into fall.
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