Gavin Blanchard Commits to UCF!!!
The Knights sign their tenth member of the Class of 2025, following the commitment of three-star Wiregrass Ranch (Fla) offensive lineman Gavin Blanchard, who chose UCF over Georgia Tech, Purdue, and others.
Orlando, Florida A Bounce House Weekend “Boom!” for Gus Malzahn and the UCF program, as the Knights sign Wiregrass Ranch (Tampa, Fla) 3 Star offensive tackle Gavin Blanchard. He paid a couple visits to Orlando, notably during the Spring Game, where he spent a lot of time meeting with Malzahn and the coaching staff. Blanchard valued that visit and hoped to return shortly for Bounce House Weekend. Following his visit, Blanchard informed the media that he had been intending to commit to the Knights for a while and that this weekend felt like the right time to do so.
1000000% COMMITTED‼️‼️‼️ Ready to get to work❗️@CoachGusMalzahn @CoachHand @UCF_Football @TeamKamMartin @JerisMcIntyre @CoachHinshaw @CoachB_Blackmon @CoachGroneqb @UCF_Recruiting @UCFSports @ChrisBoyleDBNJ @DFaulk_23 @Rivals @CSAPrepStar @PrepstarFlorida @On3sports pic.twitter.com/oreqsHJsfl
— Gavin Blanchard5️⃣1️⃣ (@GavinBlanchard9) June 2, 2024
Blanchard will largely play left guard for the Knights, but he is also versatile enough to play right guard and center at the next level. He switched to Wiregrass Ranch from Jesuit last spring, but as a junior, he helped the Tigers reach the regional finals of Florida’s 3M playoffs, playing largely at right tackle and guard on both sides.
Blanchard enjoys both the family atmosphere at UCF and the fact that his family has a close connection to the university. Saying, “This is huge for my entire family, since I have a few cousins who went to UCF and a few cousins who plan to go to UCF, so when I say it’s a total family decision, I mean it. We all agreed that this was the right decision, and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have them in my life.
Another key factor in his recruitment was UCF’s emphasis on rushing the football, with 4 Star running back Taevion Swint already committed to the Knights because he believes UCF is “the program of the future.”
He joins the class of 2025 as the tenth member, and the group is on track to break program records set by the 2024 cohort. He is the sixth offensive player to commit to the Knights this cycle, and the second offensive lineman, as the Knights focus heavily on the position.
Blanchard joins a very impressive group of players in 4 Star Thompson County Central (Thomasville, Ga) defensive back Kendarius Reddick, 4 Star Osceola (Kissimmee, Fla) running back Taevion Swint, 4 Star Palm Beach Central (West Palm Beach, Fla) defensive back Tony Williams, 3 Star Cedartown (Cedartown, Ga) defensive back Demarcus Gardner, 3 Star Tampa Bay Tech (Tampa, Fla) wide receiver Santonyo Issac, 3 Star Cocoa (Cocoa, Fla) offensive lineman Jaquez Joiner, 3 Star Ne The Knights now have the number 23 recruiting class in the USA for the class of 2025, and they have the second best average rating per recruit in the Big 12.