James Rowe (American football) facts for kids

James Willie Rowe III (born February 11, 1986) is an American football coach. He works for the University of South Florida. There, he helps coordinate the team's passing defense and coaches the safeties. Safeties are defensive players who cover wide receivers and help stop runs.

Before joining South Florida, Rowe coached for the Indianapolis Colts in 2021. He has coached football for 15 years, including four seasons in the NFL. He also played baseball at South Florida from 2005 to 2007.

In 2022, Rowe was chosen to coach the defensive backs for the East team in the East-West Shrine Bowl. This is a very old college all-star football game.

Playing Career

James Rowe played college baseball at South Florida. He was a left-handed pitcher and an outfielder. He played for three years, from 2005 to 2007. He earned a degree in business administration in 2009.

In high school, Rowe was a four-year starter in football, basketball, and baseball. He went to Cocoa High School in Florida.

He received many awards in high school for his sports skills:

Baseball

• First Team all-state (as a senior) – This means he was one of the best players in the entire state.
• Third Team all-state (as a sophomore and junior)
• All-Space Coast (as a sophomore, junior, and senior) – This means he was one of the best players in his local area.
• All-Central Florida (as a senior)

Football

• Third Team all-state (as a junior)
• All-Space Coast (as a junior)

Coaching Career

Cocoa High School (2007-2010)

Rowe started his coaching career at his old high school in Cocoa, Florida. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for four seasons. An offensive coordinator plans the team's plays for scoring points.

Bethel University (2011)

He worked as a graduate assistant coach for the Bethel Wildcats. A graduate assistant is a coach who is also studying at the university. The Wildcats team finished 14th in the NAIA poll, which ranks college teams.

Jacksonville State (2012–14)

Rowe coached at Jacksonville State for three years. He was the defensive coordinator in 2014, which means he was in charge of the team's defense. In 2013, he coached wide receivers, who are players that catch passes. In 2012, he was a graduate assistant and coached cornerbacks.

Florida Gators (2015)

He spent the 2015 season at the University of Florida. He was a defensive graduate assistant. The Gators' defense was very strong that year. They ranked sixth in total defense and eighth in points allowed.

Valdosta State (2016)

As the defensive coordinator, Rowe helped the Valdosta State Blazers. Their defense was amazing at getting interceptions, leading their division with 27. An interception is when a defensive player catches a pass meant for an offensive player.

He coached Kenny Moore II, who later became a great player in the NFL. Moore was named a First Team All-American under Rowe's coaching. Rowe worked under Head Coach Kerwin Bell at Valdosta State. They had also worked together at Jacksonville State.

Coach Bell praised Rowe, calling him a "young superstar" and a "great communicator." He said Rowe was good at talking to players and making smart decisions during games.

Washington Football Team (2017–19)

Rowe spent three seasons in Washington. He was the assistant defensive backs coach. Defensive backs try to stop the other team from completing passes.

In 2019, he coached cornerback Quinton Dunbar, who had his best season with four interceptions. In 2018, the defensive backs helped the team get 15 interceptions, which was tied for ninth in the NFL.

In 2017, Washington's defense was very good at stopping passes. They ranked in the top 10 for how few passes opponents completed and how few passing yards they allowed.

Appalachian State (2020)

Rowe was the cornerbacks coach for Appalachian State. He was nominated for the Broyles Award, which is given to the best assistant coaches in college football. The Appalachian State defense was excellent at stopping passes. They led the country in "passes defensed," meaning they broke up many passes. They were also the only team in their division to allow opponents to complete less than half of their passes.

Indianapolis Colts (2021)

In his first season with the Indianapolis Colts, Rowe helped the defense get 33 "takeaways." Takeaways are when the defense gets the ball back from the other team, either by interceptions or by recovering fumbles. The Colts tied for the most fumble recoveries (14) and were third in interceptions (19).

He coached Kenny Moore II again, who he had coached at Valdosta State. Rowe helped Moore become the first Colts cornerback to be chosen for the Pro Bowl since 2015. The Pro Bowl is an all-star game for the best players in the NFL.

Moore had a great season in 2021. He was one of only two defensive backs in the NFL to have 100 tackles and at least 10 passes defensed.

Chicago Bears (2022)

Rowe was hired as the defensive backs coach for the Chicago Bears on February 4, 2022.

University of South Florida (Current)

On January 2, 2023, Rowe joined the University of South Florida. He is now their defensive passing game coordinator and safeties coach.

Personal

James Rowe is the son of James Rowe, Jr. and Louise Rowe. His brother, David, played football at Rutgers University. David is currently a cornerbacks coach at the University of Houston.

Rowe's father, James Rowe, Jr., played basketball at Florida Tech. He coached boys' basketball at Cocoa High School for 24 years. He won over 400 games before he retired in 2018. His 2009 boys' varsity team won the state championship.