Justus Boone reveals incredible story behind his name

Florida defensive lineman Justus Boone has been hard at work on and off the field this offseason as the Gators prepare for the 2023 season. Boone has been putting in extra work giving back to the community.

In June, he was named Florida’s Danny Wuerffel Man of the Month, given to the student-athlete who demonstrates holistic excellence in character, academics, service and leadership.

On Tuesday, Boone joined The Paul Finebaum Show to discuss his off-field exploits, which included a wonderful story about how he got his name.

“Honestly if you don’t mind I’ll give you a little backstory how I actually got my name,” Justus Boone said. “My name is actually pronounced ‘Just-Us’ and it was given to me by my mother because when I was conceived, in the hospital my biological father wasn’t present in the room, so it was just me and my mom and she hadn’t really picked out a name for me yet.

“She just kind of like looked around the room and saw there was nobody but just us in the room and she was like, ‘OK, yeah, that’s it. We’re going to name you Justus, because no matter where we are in the world, no matter who with us it’s just us.'”

Fast forward a couple decades and Boone is now a promising junior with Florida, itching to prove the defensive line has been retooled and is deeper than ever.

Some of Justus Boone’s offseason, though, was spent instead focused on his second annual camp for kids where he grew up.

The Just-Us Football Camp in Sumter, S.C., featured training and instruction for dozens of kids aged from 5 to 16 at Dillon Park in Boone’s hometown. Boone’s desire to give back goes way back.

All the way to his name.

“I kind of like just carry that around with myself every day and just think about the service that I can do,” Justus Boone said. “Not even thinking about myself I just try to keep myself in acts of service for others and I feel like it will repay me in the end.”

As far as what he hoped the kids who attended the Just-Us Football Camp took away, it was pretty straightforward.

“Honestly I just want them to be able to tell their parents that I believe in myself, I believe that I can complete whatever I set my mind to no matter how complicated it may be, no matter how it starts off,” Justus Boone said. “I want to see it through and finish and God will reward me for my extra, he will reward me for my efforts.”