Florida football: Five players Billy Napier says have stood out in spring practice
By Will Thomas
![Florida Gators outside linebacker Princely Umanmielen (33) grabs a dummy bag during the University of Florida Football 2023 Football Spring Practice Saturday morning, March 25, 2023 at Sanders Football Practice Field at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. [Doug Engle/Ocala Star Banner]2023Gai Ufsrpingpractice325](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F42f43adc13d44304f985831fd610a2801de48db2230059d837782e34f8e90a02.jpg "Florida Gators outside linebacker Princely Umanmielen (33) grabs a dummy bag during the University of Florida Football 2023 Football Spring Practice Saturday morning, March 25, 2023 at Sanders Football Practice Field at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. [Doug Engle/Ocala Star Banner]2023Gai Ufsrpingpractice325")
Florida football: Justus Boone
Justus Boone, a redshirt sophomore DE out of Sumter, South Carolina, is looking to introduce himself to the country in his third year in Gainesville.
He already introduced himself to Will Levis last season.
BOOM!
— Zach Abolverdi (@ZachAbolverdi) September 10, 2022
Justus Boone levels Kentucky QB Will Levis. https://t.co/heoYZm1TtY | @GatorsOnline pic.twitter.com/cYaiLQIRSw
Of Boone, Napier said, “I think [he’s] shown maturity, I like his practice habits, I like his leadership, I think he’s really grown as a man, and his character.”
Leadership is going to be very important on the defense this season with the loss of Ventrell Miller, as well as veteran guys like Gervon Dexter.
Who’s going to step up and lead the defense on the field this season? If it can be Boone, the Gator defense could look like a completely different unit than we saw last season.
Even without Napier’s endorsement, Gator fans should still be excited about Boone this coming fall. He has great size off the edge at 6’4”-260 and has good mobility to either catch a running back on the edge or like that clip shows, fly to the QB.
After totaling 24 tackles in 11 games last season while seeing limited snaps, Boone will take on his increased role with a lot of energy, and could easily be one of the Gators’ top defensive players this season.
We’ve already seen the type of explosive plays that Justus can make when he’s given the spotlight. We can expect to see a whole lot more of it this season.