Senior Seeks Justice in Final Year
9/4/2007 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 4, 2007
By Ben Dooling, Athletics Media Relations Assistant
COLLEGE PARK, MD. -
In high school, J.J. Justice was accustomed to being on the football field a lot on game days. The Terps senior free safety was a two way all-star at the Norwich Free Academy where he started at quarterback for three years, defensive back for four, and also spent time as a running back and long snapper.His versatility and athleticism earned him a rating from Rivals.com as the best player in New England. But when Justice came to Maryland, he found himself in an unfamiliar situation: on the bench.
"I got frustrated plenty of times," he said. "I thought maybe this wasn't the place for me, but I just stuck through it. I kept telling myself that I was going to get my shot."
Justice stayed committed to the program and worked hard to earn more playing time. In 2004, he was one of two freshmen to play in all 11 games. He started one game each in 2005 and 2006 at safety, and showed he was not averse to playing on special teams, notching 33 tackles in three seasons.
He improved his strength, earning Iron Terp status for the first time in 2006 and posting the 12th-highest strength index on the team last spring. His hard work began to pay off, and he saw more playing time on the field in 2006, notching three or more tackles in four games. He snagged his first two career interceptions against Middle Tennessee and NC State, and recovered a fumble to seal the victory versus Miami.
Now, he is ready to assume a starting spot in a defensive backfield that will be looking to create more turnovers this season under new secondary coach Kevin Lempa.
For the past four seasons, Lempa held the same title with ACC foe Boston College, and he coached the Eagles' defense to 21 interceptions last season, the third-highest total in the country. By comparison, the Terrapins' defense only managed eight picks, but Justice and his coach are determined to change that.
Justice thinks his natural speed and athleticism will help generate more interception opportunities when the ball is in the air. "We need more big plays. We want to give the offense more opportunities," he said.
While at Boston College, Lempa recruited Justice as a free safety, but ultimately lost him to Maryland. "He was a superior athlete in high school, and he played all the positions," Lempa said. "He's a tough kid and a smart kid. In our scheme, [safety] is a good position for him because it requires you to be physical and intelligent."
The secondary appeared to be a question mark after the off-season departures of safety Marcus Wimbush and cornerback Josh Wilson, a fifth-round pick of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks. After a strong camp, however, it may turn out to be a strength for the Terps.
Maryland returns two starters in corner Isaiah Gardner and safety Christian Varner, who owns a streak of 22 consecutive starts. Justice, and the team's other top corners, Kevin Barnes and Anthony Wiseman, have drawn praise from coaches during camp.
Justice, who started once at strong safety last season, believes that playing different positions in high school helped him to become a better safety.
"I think overall being versatile and athletic is important," he said. "Defensive backs have to be the best athletes on the team. Everything involves so much agility, and you have to do what every other position does."
As a safety, Justice will have to run routes with receivers, make tackles like a linebacker, and read plays like a quarterback.
As an actual quarterback at Norwich Free Academy, he threw for more than 1,000 yards with 20 touchdowns in his junior season. He also ran for 14 touchdowns that season, and rushed for over 1,500 his senior year.
"The safety is like the quarterback of the defense because you have to make all the checks," he said. "Having played quarterback helps me see the big picture."
Now Justice will quarterback the Terps' defense on another bowl run, and Lempa couldn't be happier he finally gets to coach the player he recruited at Boston College four years ago. "I'm excited to see what he can do in a game, and I'm looking forward to watching him play," he said. "He's worked really hard preparing for his last year."
For Justice, it's been a tough journey from high school all-star to special-teams ace to senior starter.
"It's been a long road. I'm glad it's finally here," he said. "I don't have much time, but I'm going to make the most of it."
A four-year player works hard to get on the field for years and finally gets his shot to start in his final season as a Terp.
Sounds like justice.
