It does not sound like you can claim him, but you are reading about 2 different requirements. If your son was 24 on Dec 31, his status as a student does not matter. You can only claim him as a qualifying relative and not as a qualifying child, see Who can I claim as my dependent? Here are the requirements for you to claim him if he was already 24 at year-end:
- They're a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
- They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
- They lived with you the entire year.
- They made less than $4,200 in 2019.
- You provided more than half of their financial support.
The other article you are referencing How do I answer the "Did you support yourself in 2019?" question? Did I support myself? is talking about your son being able to claim the American Opportunity Tax Credit which he can only do if he claims himself. If you can claim him as a dependent, you can take the credit. If you can't claim him, then he can claim himself and the AOTC on his own return.
If you want to double-check your ability to claim him, you can use the IRS's Interactive Tax Assistant (ITA) found here. It takes about 15 minutes to complete.
An ITA for claiming education credits can be found here.
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