4-Star OL Had a Blast at All-In Cookout, ‘Can’t Wait to Be a Tiger’

Among the Clemson pledges on hand for the football program’s annual All-In Cookout last Friday was Rowan Byrne.

The four-star offensive lineman from Iona Preparatory School (New Rochelle, N.Y.) had a blast at the cookout while spending quality time with Clemson’s coaching staff and building his bond with fellow commits in the Tigers’ 2025 class.

“I had an awesome time. It was really great to be back and see everyone,” Byrne told The Clemson Insider. “The highlight for me was being able to bond with other commits. Just get more comfortable there, especially ‘cause it was my second time back on campus.”

Byrne announced his commitment to Clemson in early June after making his official visit to campus, choosing the Tigers over a slew of other college options, including his finalists – Michigan State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Stanford and Florida State.

The 6-foot-6, 300-pound rising senior was accompanied to the All-In Cookout by his mother.

“She really had a great time, she loves Clemson,” he said. “She’s really happy that’s where I’ll be playing college ball and going to school.”

The All-In Cookout is an event that emphasizes Clemson’s family atmosphere and strengthens relationships between the recruits, their family members and the coaches, and that was certainly the case for Byrne.

In particular, his trip to Clemson afforded him plenty of time to connect on a personal level with offensive line coach Matt Luke.

“I definitely think my bond with the coaches, players and commits definitely grew a lot during the weekend,” Byrne said. “I got to spend a bunch of time with coach Luke. I was there Saturday too and we spent most of Saturday together as well. Definitely got a lot of time to build our relationship. We also got a chance on Saturday to sit down and watch film one on one for a few hours, that was really great. I learned a lot, and saw how I fit into the offense!”

Most of the commits in the 2025 class attended the cookout, while the Tigers also welcomed a couple of priority targets to campus including Fyffe (Ala.) four-star linebacker Logan Anderson, who announced his pledge to Clemson on Friday afternoon.

Clemson also played host to Saraland (Ala.) four-star wide receiver Dillon Alfred. The one-time Ole Miss pledge was originally scheduled to announce a commitment on Monday afternoon before pushing his decision between the Tigers and Rebels back to this Friday.

“I think Logan Anderson is a great addition to the class, I get fired up whenever I see another guy decided to jump in the class!” Byrne said. “It’s such a special place and I’m happy other guys see that too.

“I think Dillon had a great (time) at the cookout, I’m hoping he’ll be a Tiger. I hope he realizes how special a place Clemson is and that you can’t find what Clemson has anywhere else in the country.”

As for Byrne himself, his cookout experience made him even more excited to get on campus for good next year and start his Clemson career.

“After the weekend I wish it was January right now when I enroll,” he said. “I can’t wait to be a Tiger and be on campus!”

Byrne plans to return to Clemson for a game at Death Valley in October.

–Photo courtesy of Rowan Byrne (@RowanByrne6) on X (formerly Twitter)

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