There was a 99.9 percent chance that Sam Clausman was going to wait to verbally commit to Syracuse until his visit to campus the weekend of June 6.

That’s according to Colin Byrne.

But when Byrne became the fifth verbal pledge in the Orange’s Class of 2015 on May 16, it only took Clausman 10 minutes and a brief phone call with his mom to follow suit and become the sixth.

The two St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) teammates — Clausman, a two-star offensive lineman, and Byrne, a two-star at the same position, according to Scout.com — are now both Syracuse verbal commits. As teammates, they’ve not only built a strong bond on the same offensive line, but also in the weight room where they’ll lead St. Thomas Aquinas through a rigorous summer workout schedule starting this coming Monday.

“They can’t wait to get back in the weight room,” St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Rocco Casullo said. “Both of those guys are leaders. They’re here at 5:30 in the morning for a six o’clock workout.”

Casullo explained that St. Thomas Aquinas’ summer lifting sessions start Monday and go from 9 a.m. to noon and last for eight weeks. It’s this schedule, he said, that will allow the pair to make a much smoother transition into college than other players in the Class of 2015.

In addition to working out in the school’s weight room, Byrne added that he and Clausman train with former STA teammates Nick Linder, a Class of 2014 Miami (Fla.) commit, and Ryan Crozier, a Connecticut commit in the same year, at nearby Power Strength Academy.

Byrne stands at a menacing 6 feet, 5 inches and 295 pounds, and Clausman measures 6 feet, 4 inches and 290 pounds, both according to Scout.com. To work to out-muscle any opposing pass rusher, Clausman boils it down to a simple mentality.

“One thing we usually emphasize is that you can always do more,” Clausman said. “Our strength and conditioning coach really pushes us.

“If you’re not dying on the last rep, go up in weight.”

Clausman plays left guard and Byrne right tackle, but Casullo said both are very flexible and could switch positions to compete for playing time at Syracuse.

He highlighted their competitive nature together. He also added that they’re feeding off the belief that they can both go in and earn playing time for the Orange right away to push through the offseason.

The training Clausman and Byrne do together off the field has allowed them to mesh better on it. The two met last year as sophomores and gravitated toward one another as offensive linemen.

“Me and Sam are leaders in and out of the weight room,” Byrne said. “It’s going to be a really good experience to go through high school and college together.”

Even though they’ve been busy with college recruitment this year, Clausman and Byrne still manage to enjoy homeroom together or get a bite to eat after school.

And even though the guy lifting next to him may be the same one Clausman competes against for a spot on the Syracuse offensive line in two or three years, he said that competition is exactly what they’re looking forward to.

But for now, one more high school season remains and the focus of Clausman and Byrne shifts to leading their team through summer workouts to prepare for the coming year.

“When you go to school with your best friend, it’s almost being like a brother and sister,” Byrne said. “It’s going to get annoying sometimes, but at the end of the day you’ve got to love each other.”

Published on June 8, 2014 at 11:05 am

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