CLEMSON – Patience has paid off for Gavin Blanchard.

The 4-star offensive lineman, out of Wiregrass Ranch (FL), had long been on Clemson’s radar, but due to circumstances that had nothing to do with his play on the field, he had to wait longer than most to pick up an offer. The issue had to do with his grades.

Clemson started recruiting Blanchard long ago and he visited multiple times, including the Elite Retreat back in January. By the time the summer months hit and it was time for officials, Blanchard still didn’t have the Clemson offer and had to look at other options.

UCF had been recruiting him for awhile and after taking an official visit to the school, Blanchard decided to commit to the Golden Knights. Clemson would not back off, though. Head coach Dabo Swinney and offensive line coach Matt Luke both stayed in regular contact, telling Blanchard that once his grades were right, he would have an opportunity with the Tigers.

Blanchard finally got that offer recently and on Friday he made it official, announcing a commitment to Clemson.

“The entire time I was committed, they just kept letting me know to keep working on my grades,” Blanchard told The Clemson Insider. “Kept talking to me every night pretty much, coach Swinney and coach Luke. They kept saying, ‘get your grades right, get your grades right.’ And I ended up getting them to where they needed to be.”

The journey to Clemson has been long, and filled with hard work. On the field and in the classroom. The offer from Clemson was one Blanchard had long wanted, but even after getting it, he took his time before making the decision.

“They offered me about a week earlier,” Blanchard said. “But I decided to take a little time and make sure this is what I really wanted. Thought it through. I’m the kind of person that doesn’t really like go off of emotion so I sat back weighing all the pros and cons.”

When that call finally came, Blanchard experienced a number of emotions that ranged from excitement to relief, but most of all he felt pride due to the fact he earned it.

“I was proud of myself,” Blanchard said. “I said I would get it done and I got it done.”

“I was excited for the fact that I earned it. I think there is something to be said nowadays about earning something. Especially for me. I just feel like I have earned this. That made it feel better than it just being given to me.”

There was also a little sadness mixed in seeing as Blanchard had developed a strong bond with some of the people at UCF.

“I still love UCF,” he added. “I’ve known those people for eight months at this point. So it was kind of hard to step away but you got to realize what is best for you.”

ESPN ranks Blanchard No. 3 among all interior lineman. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound prospect said the plan is to start at guard before possibly moving to center.

Blanchard is set to be back on campus for his official visit for the Citadel game, plans to enroll early and is anxious to immerse himself in that Clemson culture.

“Over there at Clemson, they’re good people, got a great culture,” Blanchard said. “I figured this was the best move for me and my future.”

Photo courtesy of Gavin Blanchard on X (formerly known as Twitter)

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