4-star LB Dante McClellan announces top eight schools

Canton (Ohio) McKinley four-star linebacker Dante McClellan holds offers from more than 20 schools. He is ready to cut down his list by more than half. 

McClellan announced a top eight of Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Tennessee and West Virginia. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound recruit has already visited each of his finalists except for the Gophers and the Mountaineers. 

“These schools are in my top eight for a reason,” McClellan told On3. “These are top schools that always contact me the most. The position coaches and the head coach contact me.” 

Each of the eight aforementioned programs made visits to McClellan’s high school in January. Meanwhile, he made his first visits to Louisville and Michigan State on the weekend of Jan. 27 and the weekend of Feb. 3, respectively. 

For spring practices, McClellan wants to see the Spartans again, as well as Tennessee – who he visited on Oct. 14 for the Volunteers’ game against Texas A&M – and West Virginia. Right now, the No. 9 player in Ohio plans to take official visits to Louisville, Michigan State and Tennessee, as well as either Kentucky or West Virginia. 

Some of McClellan’s officials may come in the spring, as he is hoping to announce his commitment in April or May and did not rule out taking more official visits following his pledge. He already knows what matters most to him in a school. 

“What’s important to me right now is how honest the coaches are, playing time, the chance to graduate and how I will be developed,” said McClellan, the No. 155 overall prospect and No. 20 linebacker in the 2025 On300. “I have dreams of playing in the NFL and I want to be at a place where I can be successful in life and work on my dreams without being distracted.” 

McClellan discusses five of his finalists

Kentucky: “(Associate head coach/tight ends coach) Vince Marrow, I love that guy. He’s a great recruiter and he’s a great recruiter. I also talk to the (inside) linebackers coach, (Mike) Stoops. There’s a family bloodline there and my high school football head coach played there. I have a good relationship with them.” 

Louisville: “I like the coaches. I like how they were very nice on my visit. They told me about the visit and made me feel good. They were welcoming and I was there with my whole family, so they were nice to my family too.” 

“I talk to (special teams coordinator/assistant linebackers) coach (Karl) Maslowski, the linebackers coach (Mark Ivey) and the head coach (Jeff Brohm),” he added. 

Michigan State: “The new coaching staff has only been there for a few months, so I sat down on my visit to talk with (head) coach (Jonathan) Smith and it was just great. Everybody around me and everybody on campus embraced me.” 

“He’s a real down-to-earth guy,” he added about Smith. “He wants to get Michigan State rolling again like he did at Oregon State. He told me what he liked about me and he asked me about my best attributes and I told him.” 

Tennessee: “They play SEC football. They are a very strong contender and they are good. (Linebackers) coach (Brian Jean-Mary), he loves me. I’ve talked to (head) coach (Josh) Heupel over the phone. I loved the hospitality at the game. They were nice to me.” 

West Virginia: “I like (special teams coordinator/inside linebackers) coach (Jeff) Koonz. He keeps coming through and he’s showing interest in me, so I want to give him my time and take a look at the school.”