NC Florida News

University of Florida issued the following announcement on Aug. 17.

Coming out of high school, Justin Shorter was the best of the best. No wide receiver in his class ranked higher per 247 Sports' composite rankings. He was a unanimous five-star prospect.

The talented high school senior from New Jersey chose to commit to Penn State. But as he soon learned, stars no longer matter when you get on campus.

Gators head coach Dan Mullen knows this, too.

"I don't really pay attention to stars too much," Mullen said.

Shorter redshirted his freshman year at Penn State. In his sophomore season, he amassed 137 yards on 12 receptions. A solid year for many, but a disappointment for Shorter. A change of scenery was needed.

The move to Florida was a difficult but a warranted one for the gifted receiver.

"It meant everything," said Shorter, now a redshirt junior.

It meant opportunity. It meant a fresh start.

Last season, Shorter nearly doubled his career highs in receptions (25) and receiving yards (268). But he's far from satisfied.

And Mullen has taken notice.

"From the start of practice to the end, he is grinding, giving you everything that he has," Mullen said.

Shorter's hard work is important to see for a coach who hasn't always been fully on board.

Mullen admits that when Shorter entered the transfer portal, he had a "bunch of hesitations" about a player who at 6-foot-5 and 228 pounds is an imposing target.

"There's always the initial hesitation," Mullen said. "Why's this guy in the portal? What made him go into the transfer portal?"

But after a few conversations with Shorter and his teammates, Mullen said those hesitations washed away.

"You ask guys about him and they're like,'no one out works this guy,' " Mullen said.

It's this work ethic that Shorter and the rest of Florida's receivers have shown this offseason.

"I'd say every [receiver] is just hungry," Shorter said. "I feel like we all really want to just win games."

So far, the hard work has been paying off. Shorter caught a long touchdown pass from Emory Jones in Sunday night's team scrimmage.

"I think he's playing at a much, much higher level than he did last year," Mullen said. "Much more consistent level, much bigger playmaker level, than he did last year."

In 2021, Shorter may finally live up to his five-star billing. But to Shorter, that is not what is most important. The main focus on Shorter's mind is winning football games.

"I just want to go out there this year and have our team win every game."

This hunger is what made Mullen take a chance on Shorter. It's what made Mullen realize that Shorter "is the exact fit of what we're looking for."

 Original source can be found here.