Former SHS Gamecock Boone ready for bounce-back season at Fla. after knee injury

Life-changing moments often come with a fresh perspective. That's the positive approach Justus Boone is taking after spending last season on the sideline with the Florida Gators.

The former Sumter High defensive end tore his ACL just before the start of his junior season last fall, missing out on a year of competition. Instead of sulking, Boone found a different way to impact the Gators.

"It's definitely humbling and life changing," Boone said of his injury. "It definitely allows you to see a whole lot of stuff from a whole different perspective. It allows you to watch guys and watch how they practice, watch their habits, watch stuff they do. You can honestly tell if they're giving everything they've got, if they're in the right headspace, stuff like that."

Boone has always been a vocal leader, but last year was different. He wasn't able to get his hands dirty and lead by example.

"That's definitely probably one of my hardest challenges that I had to deal with," Boone said on the lost dimension of his leadership. "I'm a pretty verbal guy. I definitely speak my mind in situations. I definitely feel, as a leader, I'm obligated to speak on any situation that's not right or speak on any situation that is right and acknowledge when someone does right. It's my job to acknowledge when they do right and acknowledge when they do wrong.

"I definitely had to be way more vocal because I wasn't able to be physical and actually show them the intensity and show them the energy that I'm bringing. It just makes me a better leader. It helps me to be able to speak properly and (learn) how to approach people to get to their minds in the right way and not make them feel as if I'm just fussing at them, by leading them in a positive way."

While the leadership growth was great, Boone was excited to be back where he belongs this summer: on the field. Early on, he didn't love the idea of being eased back into the swing of things.

"I've been fighting every day with them to just let me do a little something. I don't care if it hurts," Boone said of the process. "Since the summer started, I've been just working. I'm trying my best to get back out there."

Now, Boone's knee is feeling good, and he's excited about prepping for the season.

"I'm just keeping the mindset of no limit. I have no limit. There's nothing that I can't do. There's nothing that prohibits me from doing nothing," he said. "I'm healed. I worked hard during my rehab and my therapy to get my knee and everything back right. I worked hard in the offseason to get my body, my body composition numbers and body weight how I want to. Really just believing in my work and believing in my coaches and my staff, my trainers. They really pushed me during my therapy, and it made me a better player, made me a better person."

Throughout the recovery process, Boone was focused on getting his knee stronger than it was before with the intention of harassing quarterbacks all season long.

"I pride myself on being a pass-rusher, of course, so the thing I'm working on is making sure I get my explosion back, making sure that I'm able to make quick change of direction, make quick change of speed," he said. "I've honestly been focusing on my speed rushes. I'm most definitely a power guy. I do like to bull rush and just try to take advantage of a person, but I've been working on my finesse game.

"Just getting the tools ready in the bag. That's been my biggest focus, just getting back everything I used to have and being better than what I used to be before I left off the field the first time."

When Boone suits up against Miami for the Florida season opener on Aug. 31, he'll be ready to show the football world what it missed out on last year.

"I don't really care if you don't remember me; you're going to see me. You're going to remember me then," Boone said of his mindset. "I'm really just about that action. I can't even say that I'm worried about any team, honestly. We've been focusing on taking it one day at a time, one play at a time, one session at a time."

One team missing from Florida's schedule this season was South Carolina. Last season, the Gators traveled to Columbia, which was certainly a sight for Boone, even from the sideline. While he was disappointed to miss out on a matchup with former teammate O'Donnell Fortune, the former Sumter High star likes the schedule ahead of him. SEC play includes league newcomer Texas this season, just adding to the level of competition in the sports' premier conference.

"I'm not gonna lie, I definitely wanted to play against South Carolina in South Carolina, for sure. That is definitely one of my dreams, but it's all good, man," Boone said. "That opportunity may come again down the line, but I wouldn't say it's heartbreaking. I like our schedule. As a competitor, you look for games and opportunities like this right here. No bashing on South Carolina at all; they're a great team, but it doesn't necessarily hurt my feelings."

Boone doesn't like to set specific goals for himself. His focus is on team success. If the Gators are winning and he's doing his part, the stats will come.

"We just have a tunnel vision on what we're doing," Boone said. "Of course, we want to be successful this season. Me personally, I want to go undefeated. But it's important for us to not look ahead. We need to be focused on being 1% better every day, getting better every day, getting better every week, every practice, every walk through. That's just, honestly, my main focus."

That eye for success is highlighted by more chances for playoff glory this season. The College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams this year, and Boone intends on leading Florida into one of those spots.

"With the 12-team competition this year, there's five teams out of the SEC that can be picked into the playoffs, and we're going to be one of those. That's our goal," he said. "We're going to be a competitor, we're going to be a part of the fight, and we're going to take it all the way to the deep water."