The Junior Juice is on the loose.
Justin Simpson is the running back for the junior-varsity football team at Gulliver Preparatory school in Plantation, Fla., and is turning heads with his size and strength – making people wonder about the chances of seeing another Simpson donning an NFL jersey.
“He’s got the genes to make it. I bet he’ll be a great football player, but he’s a puppy,” Todd Fitz-Gerald, the coach for rival American Heritage’s JV squad, told The Post.
The “Puppy,” is a 14-year-old freshman, standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 190 pounds. He rushed for five touchdowns in the team’s first four games and also showed he can stop opponents from scoring.
“I see him as a linebacker or a defensive end,” said Fitz-Gerald, who also was impressed with Justin’s play as a defensive back.
“He’s a tough kid. When he runs, you’re definitely not going to bring him down with one guy.”
O.J. may be the family’s pigskin patriarch, but Justin doesn’t want his football prowess to be compared to his father, who rushed for 11,236 yards during his legendary 11-year NFL career.
“I’m my own player,” Justin told the Miami Herald. “I’m not just the son of him. He encourages me a lot because of the football and all that, but I always look at myself as my own player and play my game, not his.”
Brian Ludwig, Justin’s coach, has said, “He’s pretty determined to make his own path, and he makes that very clear.”
Simpson is a regular fixture in the stands, but has said he rarely cuts in on the coaches to offer his expertise.
“I’ll give a coach a play here or there, but I usually don’t help unless I’m asked,” he said. “So now I sit on the sidelines and talk to the parents and coaches.”