Blue Chips: Father of On300 Michigan OL target Rowan Byrne talks weekend visit

I recently caught up with Pete Byrne, father of 2025 On300 New Rochelle (N.Y.) Iona Prep offensive lineman Rowan Byrne, to get his thoughts on Michigan and their weekend visit.

Here are some highlights from the interview.

On their visit for The Game:

“The buildup with everything going on and the rivalry in general really heightened the whole experience. It’s always a huge game. I thought the teams were pretty evenly matched, and it was setting up to be a great game. And it was great. The Michigan staff was great. The support staff did an amazing job. It was a great visit. We had great seats and were able to see it all up close, so thank you, Michigan. I think it was the loudest stadium I’ve ever been in.”

On Michigan’s offensive line play:

“Rowan has an equal amount of experience in what he likes. He likes to run block and pass block. They were able to work both well. The week prior they handed the ball off 32 times or whatever that number was. They did a lot of that, obviously, with the running game. JJ (McCarthy) opened things up by getting the tight ends involved. Coach (Sherrone) Moore has them all prepared every week even with his expanded responsibilities. From the beginning, I thought it was going to come down to what would happen at the line of scrimmage. Michigan showed up in a big way.”

On Michigan offensive line coach Sherrone Moore:

“It’s amazing he was up to all the tasks given the heightened nature of The Game. He’s been calling plays for a couple of seasons and had the opportunity to be the head coach for one game early in the season. He was ready. I thought he called a great game, and it was well-balanced. His line was ready. He shook most of the hands of the recruits, parents and commits as well. He looked like he was prepared for the day. He’s tremendous. He’s very accessible. Until the season got pretty far and away, he was texting the offensive line recruits on best practices and what he’s looking for — probably weekly. He’s up to the task at hand. I’m not sure which awards he’s up for — I know there are a couple — but based on his performance and leadership, he should probably get them all.”

On what stands out about Michigan overall:

“Consistency at the highest levels. Everybody is going to talk about Michigan’s importance of controlling the line of scrimmage, which is specific to Rowan because of his position. There weren’t a lot of missteps on Saturday, and that’s a reflection of the program overall. It’s a great school with a great education and great fans. When you combine the high level education with a top level football program, it’s pretty unique. All of those things form the platform for a talented guy like Coach Moore to step up and do what needs to be done.”

On the situation going on at Michigan:

“With social media, there are always a lot of comments and stories. When the programs are doing well, there are always under the surface things. It’s college football. Everybody wants to win. If you have the opportunity to play at the highest levels, this comes with the territory. You just need to focus on the task at hand. A lot of investigations have been done, and it looks like Michigan has come out okay. I think (Jim) Harbaugh has handled himself well as has the program.”

On what’s next in the recruiting process:

“Being in the Northeast, Rowan plays on Saturdays. It’s hard to get out and see schools in-season. Geographically, the closest school to us is Penn State. Obviously, the turnover in the programs is already starting across college football. Consistency is important, even during challenging times like Michigan has faced, is a big deal. Having not been through this before, I think the next step for Rowan is his short list — probably after bowl games. But Michigan is definitely in the mix. A big win on a big day like that is very compelling.”

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