There is some good news in the Gator Nation, as wide receiver transfer Justin Shorter was granted immediate eligibility to play for the Florida Gators in 2020 after transferring from Penn State in the offseason, he announced on his Instagram account.
According to the 247Sports Composite, the six-foot-four-inch, 226-pound five-star athlete from Monmouth Junction, N.J., was the top-ranked wide receiver in the 2018 recruiting class. However, he never got things going in Happy Valley, catching just 15 passes for 157 yards and zero touchdowns during his true freshman campaign in 2019.
Despite the departure of Florida’s experienced wide receiver corps of Van Jefferson, Freddie Swain, Tyrie Cleveland and Josh Hammond to the NFL draft and free agency this spring, Shorter joins a strong squad that returns Trevon Grimes, Kadarius Toney and Jacob Copeland out on the wings, while tight end Kyle Pitts will also get plenty of attention from quarterback Kyle Trask.
While the receiver room appears to be a bit on the crowded side, leaving the talented transfer on the outside of the starting lineup looking in, he will surely get his opportunities to work his way up the depth chart. How he handles that challenge will be up to him, and if he handles it well, it could be a major boon for the Florida Gators football team this fall.
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