Iona Prep's Rowan Byrne. John Meore/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK

Clemson lands towering OT Rowan Byrne over Florida State, Penn State and others

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Jun 7, 2024 9:19 AM ET

Rowan Byrne is a big offensive lineman recruit. He checks in at 6-foot-6, 297 pounds, and is entering his senior year at Iona Preparatory School.

That's a big-time size, which makes Byrne a big-time recruit.

So much so that the 247Sports Composite considers Byrne a top-40 offensive tackle recruit in the nation. Additionally, he's one of the top prospects from the state of New York (hailing from New Rochelle), which has tended to churn out elite college football players.

Elite is what Clemson hopes it's getting in Byrne, as he announced his commitment to the Tigers on Thursday.

ALL IN!! @ClemsonFB @CoachMattLuke @CoachGRiley pic.twitter.com/KiuqrrGWRU
— Rowan Byrne 4⭐️ (@RowanByrne6) June 6, 2024

Interestingly enough, the commitment came off the heels of an official visit to Clemson that Byrne took without even having an offer from the Tigers yet. Per 247Sports, he spoke with head coach Dabo Swinney and offensive line coach Matt Luke while on campus, and a verbal offer was extended.

Just days later, Byrne decided to forgo the rest of his official visits and commit to Clemson.

"You hear about family atmosphere at a lot of places, but there wasn't really a family atmosphere there because it was actually a family," Byrne told 247Sports regarding Clemson. "That is really what it was there. That stood out the most to me. You feel like you're part of the family when you're there. It's a really unique, really special thing."

Michigan State, Florida State, and Penn State were also in Byrne's recruiting mix, but he's shutting down his recruitment now that he's all-in with Clemson.

That's a big win for the Tigers — literally.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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