Over recent years, there has been a large growth of talent in the city of Ottawa on the football field. In 2024 there are 5 Ottawa-raised athletes on teams across the NFL: Jesse Luketa, Luiji Vilain, Neville Gallimore, Eli Ankou and Jonathan Sutherland alongside several at the collegiate level. It’s been proven though, time after time, that regardless of how many athletes have come out in previous years, we are yet to reach the peak of Ottawa talent. A prime example of that is Ottawa’s Justin Rowe.
Justin Rowe began playing football with the Nepean Eagles in NCAFA, the National Capital Amateur Football Association in Ottawa where he put together film at multiple positions, eventually winning a championship at quarterback for the Eagles in 2021.
For Rowe, it was that year, 2021, that opened his eyes to his abilities on and off of the field through the game of football. He began training more seriously and became more motivated when it came to football and becoming a better all-around athlete. Both Coach Jean Guillaume (Maroons Academy) and Iseah Montgiraud (Limitless Era) helped him a lot through his transition on and off the field. He said in an interview with JZ Media’s Jordan Zlomislic, “meeting Coach Jean opened my eyes, and my family’s eyes as well to the future that is possible with football and Iseah has really gotten me better, and is preparing me for the next steps of my football career.”
His next step of his football career following the Nepean Eagles came at Asheville School in Asheville, North Carolina.
The opportunity came to Justin Rowe through a relationship that Jean Guillaume has with Asheville coach Shawn Bryson, a former NFL running back himself. When the opportunity came, for Rowe, it was “time to lock in,” it was an opportunity he had been working towards and waiting for since he met both Guillaume and Montgiraud in Ottawa, and now two years removed from him announcing his commitment to Asheville School, there is no doubt that he was ready for the opportunity.
In his first year across the border, despite fighting through injuries throughout the season, he came away with a NCISAA Division 2 state championship with Asheville School.
The championship, as well as his ability to play both sides of the ball in year one gathered some buzz around his name. On January 24th of 2023, two months after the state championship, Rowe received his first division one offer from the University of Missouri in the SEC. There is a funny story behind his first offer though. “I didn’t know the coach actually offered me.” Rowe explains, “there was a coach that came to the school and spoke with me in my coach’s office, and you know, he said something like, ‘I like how you play, and would love to give you the opportunity to come play for us on a scholarship’. I didn’t think anything of it. I thought it was just a routine visit, maybe something he said to everyone else too. When I had gone to lunch though, all of my teammates were congratulating me on getting an offer. It definitely took a while to sink in, and was a surreal moment.”
Over the next two or three months following his first offer, it felt like they just kept piling on. He ended up going to camps across the country in the spring and summer, carrying 13 total offers including those of the likes of Michigan, Boston College, Duke, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, UNC and Wake Forest.
He took part in the Wayne State University National Showcase, and Mercer Mega Camp, as well as SEC camps at Mississippi State, Tennessee, Auburn and Alabama where not only did he improve and develop as a football player, but attracted more attention from coaches around the NCAA. He went into the 2023 season with 5 more offers, with 18 total.
His second year at Asheville resembled the off-season he had. Successful.
Over 10 games with Asheville he dominated in all three phases of the game. Rowe caught 28 passes at receiver for 483 yards and 5 touchdowns, returned 22 kicks for 560 yards, and made 35 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions and 2 pick sixes as a junior. On top of that, he helped lead Asheville to yet another NCISAA Division 2 state championship, going 2 for 2 across the Canada, US border.
Speaking on his success in 2023 the only word that Rowe believes fits his experience is “unreal”. The highly touted class of 2025 athlete told Zlomislic, “it’s amazing to see not only how far I have come but my family as well. How we’ve immersed ourselves into the sport.” He touched on some of his favourite experiences thus far, “I’ve been able to visit a multitude of schools for games, visits and camps. Obviously going to Alabama with Floyd (Boucard), Steve (Mboumoua), and Keeyshawn (Schneider) was amazing. Just getting to meet Nick Saban, I also met Jon Harbaugh at a camp in the summer. So just meeting the people and going to places you see on TV, it’s really been unreal to live it in my own life.”
While 2023 may have seemed to be a big year for Rowe, he wasn’t afraid to mention that 2024 “will be a big year” as well. He explains that he has “practical goals” set for himself, mentioning those of “getting bigger, stronger faster, maintaining a high GPA in the class room. Keeping good grades is something I have kept close to me and will continue to do so in 2024 and moving forward.” On the field with Asheville School, Justin Rowe also mentions, “I want a 3 peat. For all three years at Asheville, I want a 3 peat.”
So far along Rowe’s journey, nearly everything he has ever wanted, he has manifested. To this date, he holds 20 offers from NCAA division one schools, 13 of which from power 5 schools. So, having all eyes on a third state championship seems reasonable for Justin Rowe as he closes out his high school football career this upcoming fall, and looks to find a home at the post-secondary level.
JZ MEDIA 