DE Justus Boone of Sumter is about to embark on his senior season, which he hopes will end with a state championship in December. Later that month, he plans to graduate and also sign his college letter-of-intent. Boone committed to Florida in February of this year and seven months later it appears that commitment is as firm as the day it was made.
“Still strong. No change of heart or anything like that,” Boone said. “I’m still hearing from all the same schools, Ohio State, USC and schools like that. I talk to Ohio State about every other day. I feel like they’re interested. I wouldn’t mind taking a visit up there.”
The contact with the Gamecocks also remains on a daily basis, according to Boone, with Will Muschamp and other staff members in touch.
“I still talk to them every day, I still like the school. No change at all,” Boone said. “But like I said, no change of heart, but I still stay in contact with them and talk with them daily. There’s probably nothing they can say to flip me from Florida. I just feel how I feel.
“I’ve Zoomed with South Carolina once before, or a few times, but I haven’t done any virtual visits,” Boone continued. . “I’m not really into the virtual visits. I just feel like up close and personal and with my own eyes rather than the camera will be better for me.”
The Gamecocks targeted Boone and Gaffney defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins for two of their defensive line targets for the 2021 class. They are still waiting to hear something from Ingram-Dawkins who could announce a decision any day. In his case, Boone said there wasn’t one single factor that pushed Florida ahead of USC. It was more of a gut feeling.
“I wouldn’t say Florida has anything much better than South Carolina, nothing like that,” Boone said. “I just feel how I feel about recruiting. I enjoy South Carolina, but I enjoy Florida possibly a little bit more. I can about walk to Columbia, so it’s kind of close to home and I don’t know how I feel about that. And there’s some little stuff here and there, not saying they are so much better than them or nothing like that.”
Boone burst onto the prospect scene last season after transferring from Laurence Manning Academy and transitioning from basketball to football. He had to sit out half the regular season and finished with 54 tackles last season with 16 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. Boone is a four-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite. He’s ranked as the #18 strongside defensive end nationally and the #2 prospect in the state.
