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, by his own admission, is a pretty good fisherman.

"I love it, it's just about relaxing and clearing your mind," the senior quarterback and safety said.

McClellan has caught several nice-sized catfish and a few trout during excursions with his brother Jeremiah, his father Gerald and a host of other relatives and friends.

But there is one thing about the sport McClellan has yet to master.

"I've never touched a fish, just too slimy," he said.

It is true. One of the top football players in the state is afraid to take his catch off the line.

"He just won't do it," Gerald explained. "I have to do it for him. But I've got a surprise for him the next time we go out."

Dad is going to simply refuse to take the fish off the hook. Nick will have to either shake off his fear or stand there the rest of the day with his catch dangling off the line.

Touching a fish may still be a challenge for McClellan, but he can do pretty much anything on a football field.

The last of three talented brothers, McClellan has given a verbal commitment to attend Kansas State University of the Big 12 Conference. He chose the Wildcats after offers from 11 other NCAA Division I schools including Colorado State, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Lindenwood, Missouri and Purdue.

惭肠颁濒别濒濒补苍,听the No. 7 recruit on the Post-Dispatch Super 30 countdown of the area鈥檚 top senior college football prospects, will fit in nicely in the defensive backfield at the Manhattan school.

But for the time being, he will start at both quarterback and safety for the Cadets, who are searching for their third state title in the last five seasons.

McClellan hit on 105 of 158 passes last season for 2,062 yards. That included 22 touchdown passes with only one interception. In addition, the speedy signal caller rushed for 831 yards and 12 scores.

CBC coach Scott Pingel did not play McClellan on defense last season, helping him to concentrate solely on the quarterback spot. This time around, it appears as though McClellan will play both ways.

that ended abruptly with 28-26 loss to Kirkwood in the Class 6 District 2 final.

"I'm ready," McClellan said. "At the end of the day, it's just football, a game I have played my whole life."

McClellan's versatility on the field makes him extremely valuable.

"Great leader, great human being," Pingel said. "He checks a lot of boxes in what you want as a high school football player."

McClellan's oldest brother Matt was a standout at Francis Howell and went on to a solid career at Missouri State University. He now聽is playing professionally in Tokyo, Japan.

Middle brother helped the Cadets to state titles in 2021 and 2022 and also guided his team to a state runner-up finish his senior year when he was selected as the Post-Dispatch All-Metro offensive player of the year.

Jeremiah is coming off his freshman season at the University of Oregon, where he caught three passes for 24 yards.

Nick learned a lot from his two older football-playing brothers, who never made life easy for him.

"I was looking at some pictures the other day when the boys were younger," Gerald said. "In almost every one, one of his brothers had (Nick) in a headlock or something like that."

Nick began playing football at age 5 in order to keep pace with his brothers. Nick learned a lot from Jeremiah and Matt, who is 10 years older.

"Right from the start, I fell in love with it," Nick said. "Football helped me make great friends and great connections."

McClellan learned plenty from his two older brothers.

"Mainly they taught me how to be strong and stay focused," McClellan said.

Nick also learned a few lessons from family friend Jeremiyah Love, a former CBC standout who plays at Notre Dame and is one of the top running backs in the country.

"I've had a lot of help from a lot of people," Nick said. "I feel blessed for that."

Nick began making a name for himself with a game-changing pick-6 in a 35-23 win over Jackson in the quarterfinal round as a sophomore in 2023. By the last month of that season, he had established himself as a top-notch defensive back, forcing opponents to try to throw away from his side of the field.

McClellan displays a high-football IQ and is known for his speed and the ability to stick with receivers.

He is hoping to play on Sundays down the road along with Jeremiah.

But first, Nick feels as though he has some unfinished business at CBC.

Last season's surprising loss to Kirkwood ended what had been a promising postseason run. Most importantly, the setback has provided motivation for the Cadets this time around.

"It's not revenge or anything like that," McClellan said. "It's more like it lit a fire under us. We'll be ready."