Newst OL commit Rowan Byrne says Clemson checks all the boxes

Rowan Byrne made an official visit over the weekend and committed this week.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Thursday, June 06 2024

Rowan Byrne wants to be a vet and win championships, and Clemson made the cut on both accounts.

Four-star 2025 Iona Prep (NY) offensive lineman Rowan Byrne (6-6 300) announced a commitment to Clemson on Thursday. He received a Clemson offer while in town for an official visit over the weekend, and he announced a coming commitment date and a finalist group this week that also included Michigan State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Stanford and Florida State.

He is ranked as high as the No. 1 player in New York and a 4-star prospect (Rivals).

Byrne told TigerNet what led to the decision, and the announcement that Clemson will open a vet school played a part.

"For me, it came down to being a priority there, being someone who they wanted to be a part of the program, a big piece of it," Byrne said. "Really fitting in with the culture, fitting in socially on the team, fitting in with the players, that's a major thing. And, of course, I wanted to go somewhere where I'm going to compete for a championship every year. And the academics had to be a fit as well."

Byrne joins 4-star Tampa cornerback Graceson Littleton in Clemson pledges this week after recent official visits. With a 13-man class now, Clemson still has the No. 3-ranked class for the 247Sports Team Composite.

Byrne recapped his visit last weekend.

"I thought it was amazing. It was one of the best visits I've been on," Byrne said. "I think the culture there is different. I just think being able to be at a place like that, with that family environment, with that emphasis on development of the whole person while still being able to win championships, is a very unique thing. A lot of times, you have to sacrifice that to win, but Clemson has figured out a way to maintain that culture and still win championships.”

He also said that head coach Dabo Swinney is a man of principle.

"He (Swinney) knows what he wants to do, and that's the way he's going to do things," Byrne said. "There's definitely something admirable about that, you know, sticking to his values."

Where do the Tigers see him as a fit?

"They kind of see me as someone who could probably play all five spots, but I'm going to start out playing tackle when I get there," Byrne said. "They see me as a really strong run blocker, somebody who is really nasty in the run game, but I play with good technique, and I have good athleticism so that I can pull, I can get out on the move, and I can do all that stuff and play with a nasty streak."

The good news is that Garrett Riley’s offense is similar to what Byrne runs in high school.

"Kind of similar at times to what we do," Byrne said. "Lot of RPOs. They kind of do a couple of different things in the run game. Inside zone. Outside zone. Some gap schemes. Pin and pull, too. I like that it's a little bit varied, so you're going to be able to run a couple of different schemes. If you're athletic, you're going to get the opportunity to pull. If you're a big, strong dude, you're going to get the opportunity to block on gap schemes, block inside zone. The scheme has something for everyone."