2025 OL Rowan Byrne Talks "Dream Offer" From Notre Dame

Rowan Byrne‍ cut to the chase when asked what it meant to receive an offer from Notre Dame on Thursday.

“Look, Notre Dame's my dream school, so I was extremely happy,” the 2025 New York offensive lineman says. “On the brink of tears, you know what I mean?

“Like...I love Notre Dame. I grew up liking them because everyone kind of likes them. Some of my close friends are fans, so I kind of was, but then I visited last year and I just fell in love with the place. It felt like somewhere that was for me.”

The Iona Prep star spent Wednesday on campus before working out at Thursday’s Evaluation Camp.

“I spent a lot of time on campus and meeting everybody,” says Byrne.

He was then told he would be meeting with Marcus Freeman afterward.

“He said he wanted to offer me,” Byrne says of the Irish head coach. “He's super excited. He thinks I'm a very special offensive lineman because I can play all five positions and I move extremely well for my size. He thinks the character I have really fits Notre Dame's culture and the offensive line that they have had really forever.”

Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph and the 6-foot-6, 292-pounder have already established an extremely tight relationship.

“Me and Coach Rudolph are really close,” says Byrne. “We were really close before the offer because I've been talking to him a lot and he came in my school to see me.

“I love Coach Rudolph. He's amazing. Working with him is great. He's very positive. Obviously, he expects a lot, but he's a great coach. The way he explains things is great, just the way he does it.

“Some coaches have an on and off switch. At practice with their team, they're just screaming, cursing guys out. And then at camp, they're this super nice guy to the recruits. He's not like that. He's not a big yeller. Obviously, he can get intense, but he's a very positive coach, so he is more modern. Obviously, he wants a tough, dedicated offensive line that is going to give maximum effort. The culture that he builds with his linemen and the relationships he builds, he's a genuine guy. He's an amazing guy. He's a guy you want to play for.”

Byrne’s growing offer sheet also includes schools like Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State and Stanford among others.

Even though Notre Dame was Byrne’s childhood dream school and he likes it even more now, that’s not to say this race is over by any means.

“They’re probably tied for first with Michigan,” Byrne acknowledged. “I'm going to Wisconsin (Friday) and Saturday/ I love those three schools. I would not be surprised if those three were kind of all tied coming back next week.

“I'm really lucky because I got my offers and my recruitment started super early. I have a lot of time to see schools. I can see each place more than once, more than two times if I want to, which is a really great opportunity for me to really make sure I go to the right spot.”

Byrne plans to make multiple trips to each school in the coming months in order to find the best fit.

He doesn’t have a firm timeline for a decision at this point.

“When it's right, it's right,” Byrne says. “Sometime before this time next year, if not sooner. I would like to have it done by now in a year. I don't want to have this decision looming over me during my offseason training, during camp for football, during my season.

“That's a lot to handle with the season because you want to be great on the field. So, it would be nice to get that out of the way before that, so I know where home is going to be.”

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