Gavin Blanchard worked hard, patiently waited on coveted Clemson offer

The 2025 prospect could play guard or center.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Friday, November 01 2024

Gavin Blanchard was just waiting on the offer.

Blanchard, a 4-star offensive lineman out of Zephyrhills (FL) Wiregrass, announced a commitment to Clemson on Friday afternoon, ending his prior commitment to UCF.

Blanchard, born in Greenville, always had Clemson at the top of his list during the recruiting process. And Clemson offensive line coach Matt Luke always liked him as a guard or center.

“After I committed to UCF, they still pushed how they really wanted me,” Blanchard said. “The main thing was, I had to get my grades up. That’s the reason they didn’t offer me earlier. They’ve been on me for like a year and a half now, but you know how they are. They are pretty strict with their rules and the grades. I got my grades up, and they offered me. After that, I sat down with my family, prayed on it, talked on it and made the decision.”

The offer from Luke came last week.

“It felt like something I earned,” Blanchard said. “My GPA wasn’t good at one point and I had to work really hard to get that up and get that to where it needed to be. I kind of just felt proud of myself because I earned it.”

Now that he’s taken care of his academics and locked in with Clemson, Blanchard is excited about what is in store for him under Luke’s tutelage.

“The plan is for me to develop and turn into a good man,” Blanchard said. “I like his plan of development for me. He’s shown that he can develop a bunch of people, that’s why I really trust him. I’m grown a great relationship with him and have to keep building it. They like me for center and guard. He said he’s going to put me at guard first, let me get adjusted to that, and eventually, I’ll be able to play all three in college, both guards and center.”

Blanchard has set his official visit with Clemson for November 23rd.