What is his class rank looking like? Note that Texas public universities admit much of their classes by rank and test scores, according to http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/texas-colleges/1677484-texas-public-universities-requirements-for-guaranteed-admission-2015.html . Of course, you need to investigate engineering (or engineering technology) and rowing at each school, but if a suitable one is found that he is automatically admitted to and is affordable, then he has a safety.