CLEMSON — A Tar Heel State recruit is trending up, and Clemson is entering the fold for his talents. 2025 safety Justin Rowe made the trip from Asheville, N.C. to see the Tigers thrilling matchup with Florida State.

Following his visits, Rowe spoke with The Clemson Insider about the experience and what it was like in front of a sold-out Death Valley.

“I just love the environment. I loved meeting Coach Dabo Swinney as well, I loved his his energy. Coach Goodwin there as well…got to talk to him for a bit. There was obviously a big rivalry game there as well. So it was a very, very good environment. So I can only imagine what a night game could be like,” Rowe said.

Rowe’s recruiting sped up in 2023, receiving all 12 Division-I offers, including eight ACC schools if you count SMU. As an N.C. product, it’s no surprise to see the Triad area stake their claims but now S.C. is in the picture with Clemson recruiting him. Rowe said the Tigers have always been “in the back of my mind” and the elusive offer from Swinney would mean a lot to him.

“That Clemson offer would mean a lot, you know, especially hearing they’re a program very slow to offer, as coach Swinney was saying, so when they do offer, it’s a commit of an offer, it means they have full fledged faith in me so. So I mean, If I do get that offer, it would definitely mean a lot to me and my family as well,” Rowe said.

As for what interests him in Clemson, it’s much more than football. While it’s a given to him that the Tigers will prepare him as a player, it’s the emphasis on faith and helping him grow as a man that Rowe sees after talking to Swinney.

their first priority is obviously to win a national championship, but it’s also to give us a degree, so that we will be set for life,” Rowe said. “So I feel like that Christian emphasis on top of the honesty they’re showing from the jump plays a huge factor in my final decision as just a family vibe I felt there not only from Coach Swinney… nothing was awkward or felt forced, it was just a nice conversation to get into.”

While there’s still plenty of time for Clemson to offer, he says that there’s not an exact top five but the Tigers will definitely be up there if he received an offer. The experience in Death Valley added to that as Rowe’s recruitment intensifies.