Tag: Justin Shorter

Florida receiver Justin Shorter’s family updates his status

Shorter was released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery after taking a hit to the head in Thursday’s Gasparilla Bowl loss.

A scary moment came in the final minutes of Florida’s Gasparilla Bowl loss to the UCF Knights on Thursday night as starting receiver Justin Shorter took a hit to the head and stayed on the ground while not appearing to be moving. It was an emotional scene as UF’s players huddled around him, and he was carted off the field and taken to a local hospital.

Fortunately, we got some good news on Friday morning as Shorter’s family announced that he had been cleared to leave the hospital in a statement posted by the Gators football Twitter account.

“We are happy to share that Justin is doing well, is cleared to head home today and is on his way to a full recovery,” the statement said. “We would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of prayers, love and endless support — he is going to be fine.”

That is certainly encouraging, as head/neck injuries are never anything to play around with. It sounds like Shorter will be alright in the long term, though.

The redshirt junior receiver is a former five-star recruit who transferred to Florida last year from Penn State. In two seasons with the Gators, he has 66 catches for 818 yards and six touchdowns.

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WATCH: Emory Jones connects with Justin Shorter on halftime Hail Mary

Check out the big play that kept UF within one score of LSU at the break.

Emory Jones saved his best throw of the first half on Saturday for his final one. With just five seconds remaining in the second quarter and trailing the unranked LSU Tigers 21-6, the quarterback loaded up for a hail mary attempt from the 42-yard line of LSU.

The Tigers defensive backs appeared to lose the ball in the sun, as it arched down and landed in the hands of a surprisingly uncontested Justin Shorter. With zeros showing on the clock, the Gators managed to get back within one score of LSU heading into the locker room.

They’ll hope that throw provides a confidence booster for Jones, who tossed an interception on a tipped ball earlier in the game. He’s now 11 of 15 passing for 143 yards, a touchdown and a pick. It wasn’t his best half of the season, but he was still relatively efficient aside from the turnover.

Now down 21-13, UF will hope to avoid suffering another frustrating road loss.

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Gators receiving core still at the top of SEC despite losses from last year

Different isn’t always worse. Florida’s receiving core is still at the top of the conference despite losing Pitts and Toney to the NFL.

Most people are quick to mention that Florida’s offense will be different this year without Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney. Different doesn’t mean taking a giant step back though, and The Athletic projects the Gators receivers and tight ends to be the best group in the Southeastern Conference this year.

Replacing Toney, and wearing the coveted No. 1 on his chest, is Jacob Copeland, whose mother famously walked away from the decision table when her son chose UF over Alabama. Copeland has played in 27 games over three years with the team and hauled in 45 receptions for 724 yards and five touchdowns. He could eclipse those numbers this season if he can lower his drop rate and click with new starting quarterback Emory Jones.

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Copeland will have help from Justin Shorter, who is in his second season with the Gators after transferring from Penn State. The former five-star recruit was the top-ranked receiver in Copeland’s class, and the two could be scary for Florida together.

While there’s no replacing a player like Pitts, Kemore Gamble is looking to break out at tight end this season. Keon Zipperer has also seen action in the post-Pitts era, and freshman Nick Elksnis has impressed over fall camp. Tight ends coach Tim Brewster called his group “the most complete room in the country” in early August, and The Athletic agrees for at least the SEC.

Trent Whittemore, Rick Wells and Xzavier Henderson also look to play a role in the passing scheme for Florida, but Jones is expected to throw less often than Trask did.

The Gators own the top spot of The Athletic’s SEC receivers and tight ends rankings, beating out Alabama and Texas A&M. So the next time someone mentions the departures of the big three, remind them that there’s more to come from Florida’s offense.

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This Florida football transfer faces a ‘prove-it’ year in 2021

Justin Shorter hasn’t lived up to his five-star ranking yet, but he’ll finally have the chance to be a feature player in 2021.

While many five-star recruits live up to their expected level of play as soon as they step on the field for the first time in college, others never develop into the player their school hoped they would when they were signed. These prospects can differ in many ways, but there’s one thing they all have in common: an elite degree of talent.

You have to flash tremendous ability in high school to receive that honor, and that’s why you can never count a former five-star out, even one who has been disappointing.

There are a number of guys like that in college football this season, and one of those players is UF receiver Justin Shorter. The former five-star Penn State recruit had just 15 catches for 157 yards in two years with the Nittany Lions, and after transferring to Florida last season, he was still overshadowed in the passing game, though he finished with career-highs in receptions (25), yards (268) and touchdowns (three).

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He’s one of the former five-star recruits facing a “prove-it” season, according to 247Sports’ Chris Hummer.

Shorter has a big-time chance to break out this season. As Hummer mentions, UF’s top-three pass-catchers from a year ago are gone, and Shorter should become a starter on the outside in 2021. Though coach Dan Mullen would certainly love to see more YAC from the big-bodied target, he did demonstrate some impressive ball skills this season.

Alongside Copeland, he should be a favorite target of Emory Jones in 2021, and though Shorter hasn’t lived up to his five-star billing to this point, he has the potential to be a centerpiece in Florida’s offense.

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Justin Shorter should see more targets in 2021

Justin Shorter didn’t see a ton of targets in his first season after transferring from Penn State, but he should be a major target in 2021.

Name: Justin Shorter

Number: 89

Position: Wide Receiver

Class: Redshirt Sophomore

Height: 6’5″

Weight: 225 lbs

Hometown: Monmouth Junction, N.J.

High School: South Brunswick

Previous School: Penn State

Twitter: @jshortz10

2020 statistics:

REC YDS AVG TD
25 268 10.7 3

Overview:

Coming out of high school, Shorter was one of the top targets nationally in the class of 2018. A five-star receiver (the top in the class, per the 247Sports Composite) and top-10 overall recruit, Shorter originally signed with Penn State, where he saw limited action as a true freshman. He appeared in four games, but he made just three catches for 20 yards, taking a redshirt. His second season in 2019, he saw action in 10 games but was limited to 12 catches for 137 yards and no touchdowns.

He elected to transfer from the Nittany Lions after the season, and his waiver for immediate eligibility with UF, his new school was approved, likely due to allegations of hazing within the Penn State program (or because the NCAA has a penchant for approving the waivers of former top recruits).

Either way, Shorter joined an absolutely stacked Gators receiving corps that included Trevon Grimes, Kadarius Toney and Jacob Copeland, not to mention world-beating tight end Kyle Pitts. As a result, he struggled to see targets once again, but he did have the best season of his career.

He finished with 23 catches for 268 yards and three touchdowns (all career highs) in 2020. Though he wasn’t exactly the dominant receiver UF hoped he would be, considering his recruiting status, he showed off some nice ball skills. He’s a huge target, very similar to Grimes, and will likely occupy a similar role to the one Grimes had next season.

Shorter and Copeland are the only returning receivers with significant playing time in 2020. No returning wideout other than those two had more than 12 catches in 2020, and Shorter should finally see the opportunity as a top target he’s been waiting for.

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Five takeaways: What to make of Florida’s ugly win over Vanderbilt

UF came into the game heavily favored but Vandy came to the field ready to play, as the two battled it out on the gridiron in Nashville.

It didn’t come how most fans expected it would.

The Gators were 31.5-point favorites heading into their game against Vanderbilt on Saturday, but they were lucky to emerge with even a 21-point victory. Florida won an ugly game 38-17 and remained on track to win the SEC East, but ultimately, the game created more questions than it answered.

UF led by just 14 at the half, and what should have been a flashy exhibition against an inferior team was in actuality a competitive game well into the second half. Even in the fourth quarter, the Commodores were nearing the red zone trying to cut the Florida lead to seven when the Gators made a timely stop and forced a punt.

UF clearly has some work to do. Here are our five takeaways from Saturday’s game.

2020 Florida Gators Football Profile Card: Justin Shorter

Name: Justin Shorter Number: TBA Position: Wide Receiver Class: Redshirt Sophomore Height: 6’4″ Weight: 226 lbs Hometown: Monmouth Junction, N.J. High School: South Brunswick High School 2019 statistics (with Penn State Nittany Lions): G Rec Yds Avg …

Name: Justin Shorter

Number: TBA

Position: Wide Receiver

Class: Redshirt Sophomore

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 226 lbs

Hometown: Monmouth Junction, N.J.

High School: South Brunswick High School

2019 statistics (with Penn State Nittany Lions):

G Rec Yds Avg TD
8 12 137 11.4 0

Overview:

Coming out of high school, Justin Shorter was one of the top players in the nation. The No. 1 receiver in the nation and the No. 7 player overall according to 247Sports, the five-star Monmouth Junction, N.J., product committed to play for James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

As a true freshman in 2018, he appeared in four games, making just three catches for 20 yards in addition to a nine-yard rush. He redshirted the season.

His redshirt freshman year in 2019, he saw more action, appearing in eight games (including three starts). He totaled 12 catches for 137 yards, but he is still yet to snag his first career touchdown reception.

After the 2019 season, he transferred to Florida. After an offseason of uncertainty as to whether he would be eligible to play in 2020, his waiver was approved.

Shorter joins an already talented receiver room, but the former five-star recruit should be a significant factor on the field this season.

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Former top wide receiver recruit Justin Shorter eligible to play in 2020

Wide receiver transfer Justin Shorter was granted immediate eligibility to play for UF in 2020 after transferring from Penn State.

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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Head coach Dan Mullen suggests measures as Gators prepare for the season

At his press conference on Tuesday, Dan Mullen floated several ideas regarding the 2020 football season in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

At his press conference on Tuesday, Gators coach Dan Mullen took the opportunity to float several ideas regarding the 2020 football season in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic and all the adjustments that have been made to the prospective season as a result.

Florida is at full strength now in the second week of fall camp after receivers Kadarius Toney, Trevon Grimes and Jacob Copeland, in addition to defensive end Zach Carter (who were all holding out of practice and were reportedly considering opt-outs) have reported to practice and all stated that they plan to play this season.

However, for part of the first week of camp, Mullen was unsure if he’d have his entire first line of receivers for the season. With those guys’ absence, Penn State transfer Justin Shorter allegedly stepped up and performed well in practice. Shorter, a former five-star recruit, has yet to be granted eligibility for the 2020 season by the NCAA.

While talking about Shorter’s progress, Mullen took the opportunity to mention the uncertainty regarding approval of transfer waivers and the NCAA’s decision to grant a blanket eligibility extension to all athletes this fall.

Here’s an excerpt from The Athletic’s report.

“(Shorter) was there kinda leading the way,” Mullen said. “It was a great adjustment for him being an older, veteran guy and getting in there while those guys were gone and showing what he can do.”

Mullen doesn’t hide his frustration over the mercurial nature surrounding NCAA transfer waivers. Like so many who have navigated the process — only to be astonished over the circumstances of certain denials and approvals — he just seeks consistency. The kind of blanket consistency the NCAA displayed recently in granting an additional year of eligibility to the current batch of fall sports athletes.

“It was the right move, a great idea for the NCAA to do that. It certainly helps makes decisions for the guys about what they were gonna do a lot easier,” he said. “(The NCAA) answered a question that they could answer. It’s great to create certainty in the world of uncertainties.”

Mullen, who mentioned that the idea of a commissioner for the Power Five leagues was “worth investigating,” had several other ideas and issues he wanted to see the SEC address.

One of these was roster expansion. Road teams are allowed to travel 70 players, while home teams are allowed 80 players on the sideline. However, positive tests could force players to quarantine during a game week, and having expanded roster numbers would give schools and coaches more flexibility to navigate these issues.

Mullen also suggested that the SEC make a decision on regulating crowd noise. He said he was concerned about the ability to pump crowd noise being abused.

Mullen suggests the league set parameters on how much home schools can amplify the atmosphere with stadium crowds on pace to be only 25 percent capacity.

“We’re gonna pump in crowd noise or we’re not gonna pump in crowd noise. Really simple deal,” he said. “That’s an easy decision that could be made today.

“If you’re gonna create whatever atmosphere — (decide) what level, what volume that is. The league has the big rule against any artificial noise-makers and no outside noise being pumped in. So if we’re gonna stick with that, let’s come out and say 100 percent we’re sticking with that.”

It remains unclear if the SEC will be able to kick off its season on Sept. 26, but Mullen’s suggestions may help ease some of the pressures currently facing the league as it attempts to decide.

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