Dabo Swinney Praises Freshman OL Gavin Blanchard as an “Underrated” Addition
When it comes to Clemson’s 2025 freshman offensive line class, most of the buzz has centered around names like Easton Ware, Braden Jacobs, and Rowan Byrne. But head coach Dabo Swinney believes one “lost guy” might turn out to be a major steal for the Tigers—Gavin Blanchard.
“I mean, I'm going to tell you, the kid that nobody talks about is Gavin Blanchard. He was kind of like a lost guy in this class, but that's a good football player right there. He's a dirtbag. He is a really good football player,” Swinney said Wednesday.
| Clemson Freshmen Offensive Linemen | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Pos | Ht | Wt | Hometown |
| 51 | Gavin Blanchard | OL | 6-2 | 295 | Tampa, Fla. |
| 63 | Easton Ware | OL | 6-5 | 315 | Lynchburg, Va. |
| 72 | Rowan Byrne | OL | 6-5 | 295 | Bronxville, N.Y. |
| 74 | Brayden Jacobs | OL | 6-7 | 350 | Milton, Ga. |
| 75 | Tucker Kattus | OL | 6-5 | 320 | Cincinnati, Ohio |
Blanchard’s versatility and intelligence have already stood out to the Clemson staff. “He's a smart football player. He's just one of those guys that plays better than his attributes, I guess is the best way I could say that,” Swinney noted. “He's worked some center. He's worked at guard. He's just a smart kid. He is tough, strong hands, really good leverage football player,” Swinney continued.
“Again, everybody talks about Easton and Braden, as they should, and Rowan. You know, Byrne is coming in there. We've got Watson Young back, but this little Gavin Blanchard now, he's a really good addition for us.”
Swinney added, “The kind of guy that we got in on a little late, but I'm really glad we got him. He's, I think, got a chance to be a good football player if he'll stick with it.”
