One visit was all it took.
After Rowan Byrne (Iona Prep, New Rochelle, NY) made his very first trip to Clemson for the big official visit weekend, he knew it was the place he wanted to be. A few days removed from the visit, the 4-star offensive lineman shut his recruitment down, announcing a commitment to the Tigers on Thursday. Michigan State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Stanford and Florida State were the other finalists.
“Being there for three days, you kind of see everything,” Byrne told The Clemson Insider. “It’s not like you leave and say, ‘Ahh, I need to go see this or that,’ you see it all then.”
Having the opportunity to immerse himself in the Clemson culture for an extended period of time was enough for Byrne to know he had found his next home, and the fact that the Tigers have historically been a program that competes for championships was too much to pass up.
“Just kind of getting to see the culture, see the people that are there and people that have been there for so long,” Byrne said. “Kind of see how everything runs, see how it all works. It’s a really unique place. The kind of family they have there, the culture they have there. When you get that and you also get to compete for championships, it’s kind of a perfect fit.”
As for the timing and shutting things down after just one official visit, Byrne has been on enough unofficial visits throughout the process to know what is a fit and what is not.
“I’ve been to a bunch of multi-day visits to other schools, official visit style things where we kind of see everything,” Byrne said. “I’ve been on enough visits to kind of know what I’m looking for at this point. Just kind of thought that culture they have there is just too good of a fit. Too good of a place for me to turn it down.”
Another thing that made Clemson so attractive was having the chance to play for Matt Luke. Clemson’s new offensive line coach was in contact almost immediately after taking the job, and Byrne is confident he is going to be coached by one of the best in the business.
“He’s fantastic. He’s one of the best offensive line coaches in the country,” Byrne said. “Easily develops linemen at as high rate as anyone else. And I think he’s just a great guy to know. He’s connected really well with me and my family. It’s been great to get to know him.”
At the end of the day, Byrne was looking for the right cultural fit and when you know, you know. After just one weekend in Clemson, Byrne knew.
“I think it’s like the closeness of everyone there, it’s really a family there,” Byrne said. “I think the way that everyone kind of cares about each other. Coach Swinney’s bringing the right guys in the door. So everyone there is similar in some ways. Obviously, it’s not all the same guys, but everyone’s got the same mindset. So you’re bringing good people into the program. But I think it’s really just that family feel. How everyone’s so close. It’s a special thing.”
Photo courtesy of Rowan Byrne on X (formerly known as Twitter)
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