Florida Gators DL Chris McClellan entering the transfer portal

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gators sophomore defensive lineman Chris McClellan has announced that he’s entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.

“I would like to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to God for His guidance, without which none of this would have been possible. I also want to acknowledge and thank Coach Napier and the University of Florida for providing me with invaluable opportunities and life-changing experiences that have shaped me.

“However, after careful consideration and heartfelt conversations with my family, I have reached a difficult decision to enter the transfer portal. I want to take a moment to express my utmost gratitude to my teammates and coaches, who have been by my side throughout my journey and have taught me valuable lessons that I will carry with me forever. The bonds that have been formed will always hold a special place in my heart. Lastly, I want to express my gratitude to the Gator Nation for embracing a young person from Oklahoma who will continue to pursue his dreams.
With love, 7 out.”

McClellan appeared in all 12 games for Florida this season and made one start. He finished with 23 total tackles (seven solo), 1 tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks.

He had 23 tackles as a true freshman in 2022 with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Transfer portal background information

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal is done through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request and that request cannot be refused.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.

The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.

A player can ask that a “do not contact” tag be placed on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want to be contacted by schools unless they’ve initiated the communication.

The portal has been around since Oct. 15, 2018 and the new calendar cycle within the portal begins each August. During the 2020-21 cycle, 2,626 FBS football players entered the transfer portal (including walk-ons). That comes after 1,681 entered during the 2019-20 cycle and 1,709 during the abbreviated 2018-19 cycle.

The window for FBS players to enter the portal opens on Dec. 4 and closes after 30 days on Jan. 2, 2024.