James Rowe was named the defensive coordinator of the Valdosta State football program on April 18, prior to the start of the 2016 season.
Rowe, a 2009 graduate of the University of South Florida and three-year letterman for the Bulls' baseball team, has since established himself as a talented coach at the collegiate level, with a wealth of experience obtained in a relatively short period of time.
“I’m very excited about having Coach Rowe join us as a defensive coordinator,” said Head Coach Kerwin Bell. “I had an opportunity to work with him at Jacksonville University, and I think he is a young superstar in this profession.”
Rowe’s time as a graduate assistant cornerbacks coach under Bell at JU began in 2012 and carried on throughout the 2013 season. His accomplishments in that role led to a promotion into an assistant coaching role for the wide receiver position in March of 2013, and he continued up the chain in 2014, with yet another promotion into the role of the team’s defensive coordinator.
Following his time at Jacksonville University, Rowe was picked up as an addition to the secondary coaching unit at the University Florida, where he served time as a graduate assistant coach alongside Geoff Collins and Kirk Callahan. Under his tutelage, the Florida defense ranked No. 8 in scoring defense, No. 6 in total defense, and No. 11 in pass defense. Rowe also assisted in the development of some of the top defenders at the Division I level, including Thorpe Finalist and All-American Vernon Hargreaves, All-American safety Marcus Maye, and All-American defensive back Jalen Tabor.
Before joining Coach Bell’s staff at Jacksonville University, Rowe began his collegiate coaching career, where he served as a graduate assistant coach for the Bethel University defensive staff in McKenzie, Tenn. during the 2011 season. The Wildcats finished that year ranked No. 14 in the nation, and BU finished the season as the West Division Mid-South Champions
“[Rowe] is a great communicator,” added Bell. “That’s probably his number one strength, is his ability to communicate with these young men. I also think he is a very cerebral guy that makes a lot of great adjustments during game situations, and I think he is going to be a great asset for our program as we move forward.”
