St. Louis WR Jeremiah McClellan Details Offer ‘Out of Nowhere’ from Gators

In an effort to supply 2024 quarterback commit DJ Lagway with explosive weapons in the future, the Gators are casting a wide net to haul in talented wide receiver prospects.

That endeavor is in full force as new — and old — wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales slides into the spot with spring practice already underway.

While the state of Florida and the southeast rests as the primary area focus in the early stages of the staff’s 2024 recruiting efforts, they’ve made exception for the players they deem to be in an elite tier.

On Thursday, the Gators made that distinction by offering St. Louis, Mo., wideout Jeremiah McClellan.

He shared his thoughts about the offer with All Gators hours after the discussion with wide receivers assistant David Doeker.

“I was pretty amazed,” McClellan said when asked about his initial reaction. “It was out of nowhere. So, it was [a] really crazy experience. Also, Florida’s been a really good school over the past couple years.”

Usually, the Gators deploy an extensive evaluation process that works its way from quality control pieces in the scouting department, to assistant position coaches, then to the head position coach before the prospect’s tape and scout notes land on head coach Billy Napier’s desk.

The thorough vetting that occurs shows Florida’s due diligence in ensuring the athletes they speak to and offer are players they want in the program.

McClellan, however, alluded to the fact that he could’ve been one of the select few to bypass the usual step-by-step rise up the totem pole, as the Gators looked to make sure he received an offer as soon as possible.

“He was like, I came across his board yesterday and they felt that I’m a top of receiver in the nation,” he recalled of their conversation. “I have really good route running and things and he said that he wanted to get me offered.”

Not only is that out of the ordinary for the current staff, but where he resides tacks onto Florida’s evident intrigue of what he can bring to the program.

“He’s like ‘we don't normally [offer] people outside of a six-hour radius,’” he said Doeker told him.

When watching his film, the interest is understandable.

Possessing speed at the high school level allows him to work past defenders with ease, using his second and third gears to push past cornerbacks on deep routes without the need to showcase his route running ability.

In presented the opportunity to work in space, he uses he elusiveness to scoot past would-be tacklers regularly.

Even with the small sample size, the Christian Brothers College product has shown nuances in his route running ability that project him to present uncommon polish for pass catchers upon his arrival to college.

That’s an area the Gators covet in his game — and one they lauded over when it came to true freshman wideout Andy Jean during the 2023 cycle — as well as the 42 other schools that have offered McClellan to this point in his recruitment.

“People say I’m a big body, they compare me to [current Philadelphia Eagles wideout] AJ Brown a lot,” he said about his game. “I go up and catch the ball a lot, I make plays happen in open space. I have good route running. I track the ball really, really well. Go up and catch everything that's in the air. So, that's pretty much it.”

UF joins a crowded market for McClellan’s services with Clemson, Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee and others vying to earn the pass catchers pledge.

He hopes to make a trip out to Gainesville in the near future, but hasn’t set up a date with the staff as of Thursday.

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