This past weekend, Rutgers football hosted Rowan Byrne, a class of 2025 offensive lineman who is on the verge of becoming a national recruit.
Earlier this month, Byrne was named a four-star by On3 Sports and was ranked the top recruit in New York in the 2025 class. The offensive tackle from Iona Prep (New Rochelle, N.Y.) already has an impressive offer list.
So far in his recruitment, Byrne has been offered by Boston College, UConn, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Syracuse.
Last summer, Rutgers football got involved early with Byrne, offering him at a camp.
The visit on Saturday was a chance for Byrne to check out Ajani Sheppard, his former teammate at Iona Prep. The quarterback is settling in at Rutgers as a true freshman.
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“(This weekend) was amazing really loved my time out there, I feel at home at Rutgers and get treated like family there,” Byrne told Rutgers Wire.
“And Ajani’s told me the coaches keep the same family treatment once you’re there which is something I want to be a part of! Really liked watching the team practice and Coach Flats (offensive line coac Pat Flaherty), Vallone (offensive line assistant Scott Vallone) and others coach their tails off.”
Byrne was scheduled to make a mid-week visit to Minnesota then he will take the rest of the week off to enjoy his spring break.
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One of the opportunities from the weekend visit with Rutgers included connecting with the aforementioned Flaherty, the new offensive line coach. A veteran NFL coach, Flaherty is perhaps best known for being the offensive line coach for the New York Giants when they won their last two Super Bowls.
“My relationship with Coach Flats is great we talked a lot (on Saturday) just getting to know me better as a man and player and then got to discussing football the offensive line how it’s looking, scheme, and the direction of the unit,” Byrne said.
“Supposed to have a film session today but got caught up with other things, next time we’ve got a film session I’ll definitely be on campus lots love it there! Coach Flats and I are developing a great relationship!”
The direction of the program and the rebuilding effort under head coach Greg Schiano is something else that Byrne noticed. The program has a talented group of underclassmen that, couple with some new experienced coaches gives credence to the narrative that Rutgers football is set to take a step forward over the next year.
“Yes, most definitely, the vision for the future is strong and it seems things are falling into place,” Byrne said.
“It’s a great program and it seems like the team will be good this year as well which is big for me. An exciting time for sure and big for Rutgers football.”
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