St. Thomas Aquinas safety Justice Fitzpatrick is the only defensive player among this year’s four CBS Miami Nat Moore Trophy finalists — and he’s hoping to add the honor to a growing list of achievements built on talent, work ethic and family influence.
At 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Fitzpatrick has become a force for the Raiders, logging 65 career tackles and seven interceptions as he aims to help lead the powerhouse program to another state championship.
“In middle school, I was always a wide receiver so just touching the ball on defense — especially when you’re not supposed to come to you — it’s definitely a great feeling,” Fitzpatrick said.
A major part of his development came from his older brother: Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Justice Fitzpatrick said the compliments are rare, but when they come, they matter.
“When I have games where he’s like that was a good play, I know it was a good play because he just said something about it,” Justice Fitzpatrick said.
The Georgia commit has embraced South Florida’s football culture since moving from New Jersey, noting how the intensity of the sport here helped elevate his drive.
“In Jersey, when I was growing up, even in little league, they did not take [football] as serious as when I came down here,” he explained. “I’m looking out here like, football is really life down here.”
Now, with his team chasing another title and his profile rising, Justice Fitzpatrick hopes the Nat Moore Trophy will be the next accolade defining both the player and the person he strives to be.
“It’s not just somebody on the field, it’s a person off the field, how they affect the community, and I think it would definitely be a great feeling and a big thing to me if I won it,” he said.
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