'Potential Is Endless' for Florida DL Chris McClellan

Florida defensive line coach Sean Spencer believes sophomore Chris McClellan is taking his game "to the next level."

Photo: Chris McClellan; Credit: Zach Goodall 

Ideally — according to Florida defensive line coach Sean Spencer — in a 70-play game, a given team's top trench-men should take the gridiron for about 45 snaps. 

The Gators didn't field a rotation quite that balanced in 2022, Spencer's first season with the team. Junior Gervon Dexter, unquestionably the unit's most capable contributor, averaged over 52 reps per game due to a lack of proven depth on Florida's defensive line. That number was over 60 across the first four weeks of the season. 

But by the end of the year, freshman Chris McClellan was able to lend Dexter a hand in a meaningful rotational role along Florida's defensive front. He averaged half as many snaps per game as Dexter in the final six matchups of the campaign, 26, and is in line for Spencer's recommended pitch count as one of the Gators' top linemen in 2023. 

Spencer singled McClellan out on Thursday as a returning member of his position group who has made significant progress since the end of the 2022 season.

“When you have a guy like Chris McClellan, who has played, right? He’s played a lot of reps so what can happen — that’s good and bad," Spencer explained on Thursday. "Does he get complacent with that? Well, he hasn’t. 

"What he's done is he's trying to take the next step because he knows he's got to improve, and he played because we didn't have that depth. Now, did he earn the right to play? Yeah, he earned the right to play. But now he knows in order to sustain that right to play, he’s got to take his game to the next level. And that's what he's done."

Another #Gators DL who plays with a lot of power: Rising sophomore Chris McClellan.

I think a breakout season is coming his way after impressing as a freshman. pic.twitter.com/DGnovKzNB3

— Zach Goodall (@zach_goodall) March 11, 2023

Once McClellan earned the right to play, he never looked back. After earning a career-high 33 snaps against FCS Eastern Washington in Week 5, McClellan took the field for 20+ reps in all but one of Florida's remaining eight games.

From start to finish on the year, McClellan produced 23 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and one fumble recovery. Pro Football Focus additionally credited McClellan for producing four quarterback pressures and ten "defensive stops," tackles that constitute a failed play for the offense.

McClellan, informed that he'd be relied upon as a freshman given the nature of Florida's thin defensive line at the time, claims that the game came easy to him after he adjusted to the speed of college play. His midyear enrollment and participation in 2022 spring practices were key factors in his quickly-elevated comfort.

“It wasn’t anything difficult to learn. It was more just getting up to speed with the game because high school ball and college are two different things, especially in the SEC," McClellan described on Tuesday. "The speed of the game was the main difficulty for me. But once I got adjusted it was just natural, just football.”

Now acclimated and slated for a greater uptick in usage, just how good can McClellan be for the Gators in an enlarged role?

“Potential is endless, right?" Spencer pondered in regards to McClellan. "It’s just a word we throw around, but it’s endless.

"He’s got the physical tools, he has a strong lower body, he can pass rush, he can hold the point. He’s 320 pounds, he’s got broad shoulders and he might not fit through that door, but he’s got broad shoulders and a great lower body. So, we’re excited about him.”

Joined by transfers Cam'Ron Jackson and Caleb Banks, and true freshman Will Norman, Spencer's team has been replenished with much-needed depth to go along with rising second-year players in the system. McClellan is affixed with junior Desmond Watson, redshirt junior Jaelin Humphries, redshirt sophomore Tyreak Sapp and redshirt freshman Jamari Lyons in that regard.

McClellan is now viewed as a leader within the group, already one of the unit's more experienced contributors within the scheme. 

Spencer would most like to see McClellan continue to improve his technical consistency as he prepares for the increased playing time, noting his ability to make plays without proper form as a defensive lineman thanks to his skill set. In theory, combining raw talent and polished technique will lead to steady production.

McClellan's development in Florida's 2023 offseason program paired with his first-year production suggests the task won't be overly difficult. 

“Going into year two of course I have gotten bigger, stronger and faster being in the Identity [Phase 2] program for the second time," McClellan said. "I feel way stronger, way faster and smarter. Everything is slowing down for me. 

"Last year, going into my first spring it was like, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Now it’s, OK, I know what to expect. So, now I know I've got to do this to get this result.” 

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