Justin Flowe began his college football career alongside multiple NFL players who are either in line for a contract extension or already signed. The 24-year-old linebacker will finally finish his college football career at UNLV this fall after seven seasons.
He is one of the oldest players in the country.
Fans of college football were surprised to see Flowe on the field in 2026, given that he graduated high school before the pandemic. It has not always been easy.
Who is Justin Flowe?
At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, Flowe recently began his second year at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Runnin’ Rebels put on the pads for the first time earlier this week and their veteran outside linebacker got his team fired up to start hitting.
That first day in full pads feeling 😤 pic.twitter.com/BMWtNeys4A
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) August 4, 2026
Head coach Dan Mullen has high praise for Justin Flowe. He will take on a prominent leadership role in 2026.
It has been quite the journey to get to this point. Flowe originally committed to the University of Oregon as a five-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2020 out of Upland High School. He was widely considered the top player at his position and one of the top players of the 2010s. The California-native won the high school Butkus Award in 2019 as a two-time All-American.
Flowe played three seasons for the Ducks. He missed the majority of his pandemic-shortened freshman season due to an injury. He made 14 tackles in 2021. 2022 was a breakout year. The third-year linebacker made 35 tackles and became the fourth Oregon player to record 14 tackles and force a fumble in the same game.
And then it was off to the transfer portal!
Flowe ultimately landed at Arizona in 2023 and finished with a career-high 44 tackles with two tackles for loss and one sack. Unfortunately, another injury held him to just four games in 2024.
And then it was off to the transfer portal, again!
Flowe eventually landed at UNLV in 2025 and appeared in 12 games for the Rebels with 14 total tackles. Although he flirted with the transfer portal during the offseason, he decided to run it back in 2026 and will move to the Jack position.
How is he still eligible to play college football as a 24-year-old seventh-year senior?
Justin Flowe ranked as the No. 11 overall prospect in the recruiting Class of 2020. The 10 players ranked ahead of him include Bryce Young, D.J. Uiagalelei, Will Anderson, Kelee Ringo and Jalen Carter. Other players in his class include Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kayshon Boutte, Bijan Robinson, Noah Sewell, C.J. Stroud and Darnell Washington. Most of those guys are deep into their NFL careers.
Sewell, who was also a freshman at Oregon in 2020 with Flowe, is entering year four with the Chicago Bears. Jaxon Smith-Njigba just won a Super Bowl and was named as the AP Offensive Player of the Year. Stroud and Young are both on the final year of their rookie deals. Robinson recently signed a three-year contract extension worth up to $75 million that makes him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.
Meanwhile, Flowe will be a seventh-year senior at UNLV. His career breaks down like this:
- 2020 — COVID blanket waiver
- 2021 — Traditional redshirt
- 2022 — Year 1
- 2023 — Year 2
- 2024 — Medical redshirt
- 2025 — Year 3
- 2026 — Year 4
He will exhaust his eligibility in the fall. This will be his final season of college football