Florida DL Chris McClellan Transferring to Missouri

Chris McClellan is the fourth member of Florida's 2023 roster transferring to an SEC rival. The defensive lineman has committed to Missouri.

Photo: Chris McClellan; Credit: Zach Goodall

On Tuesday, Florida defensive lineman and rising junior Chris McClellan announced via On3 Sports his transfer commitment to Missouri, an SEC rival of his former team.

“I feel as if they are gonna put me in the best position to be successful and develop me over the next two years," McClellan said of his commitment to Missouri. 

After two seasons at UF and the dismissal of his position coach, Sean Spencer, McClellan entered the NCAA transfer portal on Dec. 4. 

McClellan memorably originally committed to Florida when the program was without a head coach in Nov. 2021, pledging to join the Gators as a consensus four-star prospect out of North Tulsa (Okla.) Owasso. He maintained his commitment and signed with the team the next month, following Billy Napier's hiring for the position. 

He proceeded to appear in 25 games with Florida, making the first start of his career in 2023 against Florida State. 

McClellan finished his two-year stint at UF having tallied 46 tackles with 3.5 for loss, two sacks and one fumble recovery, frequently contributing across the Gators' interior defensive line. He logged 564 total defensive snaps in orange and blue. 

McClellan is the 10th member of Florida's 2023 roster to identify a transfer destination this postseason, following quarterback Max Brown (Charlotte), wide receiver Caleb Douglas (Texas Tech), tight end Jonathan Odom (Eastern Michigan), edge rusher Princely Umanmielen (Ole Miss), safety Kamari Wilson (Arizona State), offensive tackle Jordan Herman (Charlotte), defensive back Jadarrius Perkins (Toledo), offensive lineman Jalen Farmer (Kentucky) and running back Trevor Etienne (Georgia).

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