Newest Clemson OL ready to get things rolling once he steps foot on campus

During the early signing period, Swinney recalled that Byrne was one of the class’ first loves, as he and Matt Luke believed he was a cornerstone of this signing class.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Friday, December 27 2024

One midyear lineman is ready to get to campus.

Rowan Byrne has been committed to Clemson since June, and the Iona Prep (NY) prospect is ready to roll.

Dabo Swinney believes this class is full of winners, and Byrne certainly fits the billing to that. The Gaels wrapped up their season with a state title, with the Clemson commit proving to be a massive piece to that championship run.

Within that run, Byrne helped establish a solid rushing attack as this team rolled through the regular season. Iona Prep averaged 210 yards per game on the ground, while collecting 7.8 yards per play with 36 total touchdowns. The Gaels' offensive attack was undoubtedly effective, and the Tiger signee played a large role in shaping that.

Within the Tigers’ 15 2025 signees, Matt Luke has brought in five new linemen as he begins to truly construct his vision of the offensive line, starting with this group meshing with an established veteran group losing only Marcus Tate.

During the early signing period, Swinney recalled that Byrne was one of the class’ first loves, as he and Luke believed he was a cornerstone of this signing class.

"Rowan is just a guy who, first of all, is incredibly communicative,” Swinney said. “He's just an overcommunicator. He loves to communicate. He loves to stay engaged. He's got a great mom and dad and a great family, but he is nasty and mean. When I say he doesn’t have to bend over to tie his shoes, okay? I mean, he is long and going to grow into his body. And just a guy that Matt fell in love with and brought in here and went up to see him, and he's like, you're going to like this guy. And he was right when he came in here, super. He just won a state championship.”

That excitement between coach and player is certainly mutual, as Byrne is ready to work for someone like Luke to start his collegiate career.

Not only that, but this group is Luke’s first true recruiting class, which meant a great deal to the young tackle. Byrne told TigerNet that this group of linemen has discussed what it could be like to be a part of a new wave of players in the trenches for Clemson. They believe they have something special on their hands, especially when getting to work for someone of Luke’s pedigree.

“Yeah, we all talk,” Byrne said. “It should be an awesome group. Coach Luke and the OL coaches are great, the strength coaches are great, they’ll get all of us right, and we’ll be a great unit.”

Swinney raved about this group's potential and is ready to work with this group as they will immediately shape the depth of this line.

Byrne shares in that enthusiasm, ready to get to Clemson, and excited to get rolling on his collegiate career.

“I’m ready to give everything I’ve got to Clemson, work as hard as possible every day, and make the most of every opportunity I get.”