A former Clemson football player is headed to one of the Tigers’ ACC rivals.
Offensive lineman Rowan Byrne, who spent his redshirt season with Clemson in 2025 before entering the transfer portal, committed to Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday. On3’s Pete Nakos first reported the news.
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Byrne committed to Clemson from Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, New York, in the 2025 recruiting class. He played two snaps for the Tigers as a redshirt this past season, both coming in the team’s 45-10 win over Furman on Nov. 23. Byrne was rated a four-star recruit by Rivals and a three-star recruit by 247Sports and On3.
Byrne’s commitment to UNC is hardly the biggest news Clemson received on Saturday. Standout wide receiver Bryant Wesco officially announced his intention to return to the Tigers for his junior season in 2026. Wesco joins fellow receiver T.J. Moore as offensive weapons who have declared their intention to return in 2026.
Wesco was limited to just six games this past season after suffering a season-ending back injury in the Tigers’ 35-24 loss to SMU on Oct. 18 at Memorial Stadium. He caught 31 passes for 537 yards and six touchdowns in 2025, one year after a banner freshman season that saw him make 41 receptions for 708 yards and five touchdowns.
Clemson redshirt junior defensive lineman Caden Story also formally withdrew from the transfer portal Saturday. Story saw limited playing time with the Tigers in 2025, appearing in just three games and recording seven tackles (one solo) and 0.5 sacks. Story has appeared in 24 games in three seasons at Clemson, registering 10 tackles.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson football former player headed to ACC rival in transfer portal
