Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Former Penn State WR Justin Shorter Will Transfer to Florida
After an unofficial visit to Gainesville on December 26th and an official on January 24th, wide receiver Justin Shorter has committed to the University of Florida. Shorter, the top receiver coming out of high school in 2018, has decided to transfer from Penn State to Florida to finish his college career.
This move will help Florida’s wide receivers depth moving forward, even if he will have to sit out for the 2020 season. Shorter will be a redshirt sophomore in 2020.
Shorter never seemed to fit in at Penn State for a multitude of reasons including injuries, but he’ll get a fresh start with the Gators. Strength and conditioning coach Nick Savage will be responsible for getting Shorter back into football shape, as his former head coach James Franklin said Shorter was "a cheeseburger away from 250 pounds" last spring.
This shouldn’t be an issue, though, as Shorter is willing to put in the work and has been on the practice field and in the gym despite being away from the Penn State program. Also, Shorter looked nothing near 250 pounds on his UF visit.
Shorter has all the tools to become an elite receiver, with great size 6-4, and breakaway speed - clocking a 4.5 40 yard dash in high school. Some around Penn State's program believed his hands needed work, yet Shorter only dropped two passes in all of 2019, according to Pro Football Focus. Regardless, WR coach Billy Gonzales has proven time and time again he will get the most of his receivers.
He has a good frame and is a willing run blocker, something Gonzales loves in his receivers. It’s also a possibility he moves to tight end, as he has the size and could add some more weight instead of losing it to make the transition. Shorter could very well play a role similar to Kyle Pitts, and he’d thrive due to his length and size.
Coming out of high school, Shorter was considered the No. 8 player in the 2018 class by the 247Sports Composite Rankings and was also regarded as the No. 1 receiver in the class.
Shorter committed to Penn State early in his recruitment (over a year and a half before he signed) and didn’t take many visits to the other schools that were recruiting him. The situation is similar this time around, as he only visited Florida before committing to the Gators. Still, Florida is a hard place to pass up. He should be enrolled at UF for the summer semester.
Shorter will have the chance to break the rotation early, especially if he files for a waiver and it is granted.
There’s definitely a case to be made for his eligibility, considering Penn State has had some coaching staff changes including offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne and several assistants leaving for Old Dominion.
Shorter's ranking out of high school should classify him as a “high-profile transfer” as well, the same grounds that Tate Martell and Justin Fields used to become immediately eligible. Still, Florida never got clearance for Brenton Cox, although that was a long shot as he transferred from Georgia after the season was underway.
With Shorter’s transfer now official, Florida will have 12 receivers on the roster, after losing four receivers to the NFL Draft and graduation this offseason but adding five in the 2020 class, via high school recruiting and transfers. With Shorter's commitment, the team will have two more than Mullen's ideal receiver count of 10, as he noted on Early Signing Day.
Overall, Shorter is an excellent addition who can play both WR and TE. He’s got the size and speed, but his hands will need some work moving forward. His footwork is superb, and he is a great run blocker which will help him at both receiver and tight end.
After earning a commitment from four-star receiver Xzavier Henderson on in early January, Florida should be ecstatic with this pickup - getting richer at what was a position of need just a few short weeks ago.
You can welcome Shorter to Florida by following him on Twitter here, and you can check out his high school tape below.
