Sumter DE Justus Boone committed to Florida in February but the recruiting, both ways, has not stopped. Schools are still offering and talking, and Boone is still listening. In fact, he has scheduled official visits to Arizona State October 3rd and USC October 10th. Tennessee, Virginia Tech and West Virginia also remain in his ear.
Boone has been a primary target for USC coach Will Muschamp going back to last year. He and assistants Mike Peterson and Tracy Rocker have been in continuous contact, and he’s fine with that.
“I talk to those guys about every day to be honest,” Boone said. “Coach Rocker, Coach Peterson, Coach Muschamp. They just been pitching me what they’ve been pitching me, telling me it’s best to stay in the home state, things like that. Just basically the same stuff they’ve been recruiting me with. I never lost my interest in them, they are still one of my top schools.”
Muschamp this week used the word “reservations” in describing the large number of commitments made this year compared to the same time period last year. He said kids have gotten anxious because of fear of losing spots and have been making commitments without ever visiting the school. His hidden message is look for a lot of decommitments in the months ahead.
“I’m not going to say that I will flip, I’m not going to say I’m not,” Boone said. “I’m always keeping my options open and don’t want to burn any bridges with anybody. You never know when somebody else might change how they feel about you. I don’t burn any bridges and always keep my options open. I’m committed to Florida but after the same time I’m going to always consider my family and consider what’s best.”
And to do that, Boone said he has to get back on the road and visit the schools he’s most interested in.
“I want to get out to some of the main schools that I feel like I fit in and be able to play early,” Boone said. “That’s one of my biggest things about my recruiting, I want to be able to play as soon as possible, to make as big an impact as early as I can. I just want to get back on the road and go to schools that I actually feel like I can cause havoc and make a name for myself early.”
Boone was moved up to a four-star prospect in the last update of the 247Sports Composite. He’s ranked as the #18 strongside defensive end nationally and the #2 prospect in the state. Last season, his first at Sumter after transferring from Laurence Manning and being forced to sit out five games, he had 54 tackles with 16 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
