Veteran Clemson offensive lineman Walker Parks is bullish on the future of this true freshman offensive lineman.

Parks, a sixth-year senior, had plenty of praise for Gavin Blanchard, who is in his first year with the Tigers after enrolling early back in January.

“Gavin Blanchard – he’s probably not going to watch this, and I’ll never tell him this – but I think he’s going to be an incredible player,” Parks said during his media availability on Wednesday.

“I’m not going to boost his ego any more,” Parks added jokingly, “but I think he’s going to have an incredible career here.”

A Tampa native, Blanchard was ranked among the top centers in the 2025 recruiting class. He was rated by ESPN as a four-star recruit and as the nation’s No. 5 center.

Blanchard finished his prep career playing at Wiregrass Ranch High School (Wesley Chapel, Fla.), where he helped his team to an 11-2 record as a senior in 2024 and graded 88 percent for the season with 30 pancake blocks according to his coaching staff. He was a first-team selection by the Florida Athletic Coaches Association and first-team All-Sunshine Athletic Conference.

The 6-foot-2, 295-pounder played his junior year at Tampa’s Jesuit High School and helped his team to the regional finals. He was a freshman on Jesuit’s 2021 6A state title team that also included future Tigers Wade Woodaz and Drew Woodaz.

“He’s nasty,” Parks said affectionately. “I love Gavin. He’s a great kid. We’re working on getting him straightened out. He’s a freshman, so he’s doing freshman things. But he’s quick. He’s twitchy. He’s undersized and he knows it, and so he plays really hard and he hits really hard.”

Blanchard originally committed to UCF in June 2024 before flipping his commitment to Clemson on Nov. 1, 2024.

Part of what Clemson’s staff liked about Blanchard during the recruiting process was his versatility. He has worked at both guard and center, showing early on an ability to play multiple positions.

Parks envisions Blanchard ultimately settling in as a center and excelling at that position down the road.

“I think he’s going to develop for another year or two and I think he’s going to move to center,” Parks said. “He plays a little bit of center and guard now. But I think he’s going to be an incredible center here one day.”