James Rowe (American football) facts for kids

James Willie Rowe III, born on February 11, 1986, is an American football coach. He currently works for the University of South Florida. He is their defensive passing game coordinator and safeties coach. Before this, he coached for the Indianapolis Colts in 2021. Rowe has coached football for 15 years, including four seasons in the NFL. He also played baseball for South Florida from 2005 to 2007.

In 2022, James Rowe was chosen to coach in a special college football game. This game is called the East-West Shrine Bowl. He was the defensive backs coach for the East team. This is the oldest college all-star football game in the country.

Playing Sports in College and High School

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 his degree in business administration in 2009.

In high school, Rowe was a four-year starter in three different sports. He played football, basketball, and baseball at Cocoa High School in Florida.

He received many awards during his high school sports career:

Baseball Awards

• First Team all-state (in his senior year)
• Third Team all-state (in his sophomore and junior years)
• All-Space Coast (in his sophomore, junior, and senior years)
• All-Central Florida (in his senior year)

Football Awards

• Third Team all-state (in his junior year)
• All-Space Coast (in his junior year)

Coaching Career

James Rowe has coached football at many different levels. He started coaching at his old high school. Then he moved on to college teams and even the NFL.

Coaching at Cocoa High School (2007-2010)

Rowe started his coaching journey at his old high school in Cocoa, Florida. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for four seasons.

Coaching at Bethel University (2011)

He worked as a graduate assistant for the Bethel Wildcats team. This team was ranked 14th in the NAIA, which is a group of smaller colleges.

Coaching at Jacksonville University (2012–2014)

Rowe coached at Jacksonville University for three years. He was the defensive coordinator in 2014. In 2013, he coached wide receivers. In 2012, he was a graduate assistant and cornerbacks coach.

Coaching at the University of Florida (2015)

In 2015, he was a defensive graduate assistant for the University of Florida. The Gators' defense was very strong that year. They ranked sixth in total defense and eighth in points allowed. They were also 11th in stopping passes.

Coaching at Valdosta State (2016)

As the defensive coordinator, Rowe helped the Valdosta State Blazers. His team led Division II with 27 interceptions. He coached Kenny Moore II, who became a First Team All-America player.

Rowe worked under Head Coach Kerwin Bell at Valdosta State. Bell had also coached Rowe at Jacksonville University. Bell praised Rowe when he joined Valdosta State. He called Rowe a "young superstar" and a "great communicator." Bell also said Rowe was smart and made good decisions during games.

Coaching for the Washington Football Team (2017–2019)

Rowe spent three seasons in Washington. He was the assistant defensive backs coach.

He coached cornerback Quinton Dunbar, who had four interceptions in 2019. This was his best season for interceptions. In 2018, the defensive backs group had 15 interceptions. This tied for ninth-best in the NFL.

In 2017, Washington's defense was very good at stopping passes. They ranked third in how many passes opponents completed. They were ninth in passing yards allowed per game.

Coaching at Appalachian State (2020)

Rowe was the cornerbacks coach for Appalachian State. He was nominated for the Broyles Award. This award honors the best assistant coaches in college football. The Appalachian State defense was excellent at stopping passes. They led the country in passes defended. They were the only team in the FBS to allow opponents to complete less than 50 percent of their passes.

Coaching for the Indianapolis Colts (2021)

In his first year with the Indianapolis Colts, Rowe helped the defense. The Colts' defense was second in the league with 33 takeaways. They tied for the most fumble recoveries with 14. They also tied for third in interceptions with 19.

Rowe coached cornerback Kenny Moore II again. He had coached Moore II at Valdosta State in 2016. Moore II became the first Colts cornerback to be chosen for the Pro Bowl since 2015. The Colts had seven Pro Bowl players in 2021, which was the most in the NFL.

Moore II had a great 2021 season. He made 101 tackles and had four interceptions. He was one of only two NFL defensive backs to get 100 tackles and at least 10 passes defended that year.

Coaching for the Chicago Bears (2022)

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

Coaching at the University of South Florida (Current)

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

Family Life

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

James Rowe, Jr., his father, 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.