Former Sumter High star Boone making the most of his transfer to Arkansas

Justus Boone's football career has been far from linear.

After graduating from Sumter High, Boone started to make a name for himself at Florida, carving out a solid role on the Gator defensive line. A knee injury knocked him off course his junior year, and he was never fully able to regain his momentum at Florida. That led the former Gamecock into the transfer portal this spring, where he stayed in the SEC but moved a little farther east at Arkansas.

Boone had his first chance to work with the Razorbacks this spring and felt like Arkansas was a great fit from the start.

"It's been smooth. I've been in the game for a few years now, so there isn't much I haven't seen or haven't done," he said. "Transitioning has been really great. They've been really welcoming, and I like their game plan, how they intend on using me, and that's the biggest thing that stood out to me when I was visiting schools."

The former Sumter High edge rusher made plenty of connections during his four years at Florida, which is how he was able to find his next home in Fayetteville.

"It's really just based on relationships. I've got a guy that was really close to me at Florida. He actually took a job at Western Kentucky, but he happened to know the D-line coach here, so he reached out during my recruiting process and told me they were interested in me," Boone said of connecting with Razorbacks defensive line coach Deke Adams. "Once I came down here and I met him and found out what type of guy he was, I fell in love with him and the program. It was just the right fit."

After working with Adams, Boone was excited about the approach Arkansas will have up front. Simply put, Boone wants to get after quarterbacks without fussing too much about what the tackle in front of him is doing.

"No disrespect to Florida, but we were more of a read-and-react team, just mirroring the guy in front of you and make your steps off that," he said. "This style here is a little bit different, it's more of an attacking style, which is more of my playing style. I'm just more of a guy that just wants to go instead of read and react. I just want to blow the whole play up and make it happen."

Boone was also drawn to the fact that he'll remain in the SEC, meaning he'll see the best competition in the country week in and week out.

"It's one of the best conferences there is, and it comes with the most attention when it comes to getting to the next level," Boone said. "It was a big emphasis for me, but I was just looking for the right fit and the right scheme. It's about time for me to get to the next level, so I need to get into the situation that's best for me to do that. I just felt like Arkansas had the right scheme and plan for me to help me do that."

Arkansas finished the 2024-25 season 7-6 and earned a spot in the Liberty Bowl, where they defeated Texas Tech 39-36. The Razorbacks were a team that was on the brink of a far more impressive finish. They had some heartbreaking losses, including a seven-point loss to #24 Missouri, a 10-point defeat at the hands of No. 3 Texas, a four-point loss to then-No. 24 Texas A&M and a 39-31 double-overtime loss to then-No. 16 Oklahoma State. Boone feels like he can be the missing piece to help Arkansas take the next step in 2025.

"What I can bring to the table can help us a lot. Not saying they were a bad team before; they had a great season and went toe to toe with a lot of great teams and went to a bowl game, so it's not as if I'm coming to a broken team," Boone said. "They just need certain pieces in certain spots, and thankfully they took a chance on me. I'm just thankful to be in the position, and hopefully I can do everything possible to get us over to that next level, get us into the playoffs and be contending for a national championship."

Boone is able to find that confidence in part because he's feeling much more secure on his surgically repaired knee. While he was healthy enough to play last season, his knee is in a much better place than it was a year ago.

"I would definitely be lying if I said I felt 100% the whole time last year," Boone said. "I can honestly say, thankfully through the grace of God, I've come a long way since my injury. I've healed a whole lot, and I did everything possible to make myself better. I'm in a great position now and looking forward to having a tremendous year."

Sumter High defensive linemen are slowly starting to take over the SEC. Miles Capers helped lead Vanderbilt to one of its best seasons in recent memory last fall, which included an upset over Alabama. The most recent addition to the conference was Anthony Addison, a recent Sumter High graduate who joined South Carolina this spring. Boone loves to see his alma mater continue to find success, which also includes Eric Watts in the NFL as a member of the New York Jets.

"It's exciting. I'm proud and grateful to be in the number and a part of the continued success that comes from Sumter High," Boone said. "I love to see people from my city, where I'm from, taking on some of the same things that I took on in life doing the same thing I'm doing at this level. I'm always looking to give praise."

With each passing year, the dream of an NFL career becomes one step closer to reality. But Boone is trying to stay locked in on helping Arkansas have the best 2025 season possible.

"I just leave it all in God's hands," he said. "I'm not really focusing on putting in my head, 'I'm trying to go to the NFL.' I just want to improve every day, and whatever God has in store for me, that's what I'm going to do. You've got to take it one day at a time, one step at a time. I don't want to think too far ahead. I've got to stay where my feet are at and continue to work. God's will be done; it'll come to me instead of me having to come to it."