Florida Football: What impact will Justin Shorter have on Gators?

What kind of impact with Justin Shorter have on Florida football after transferring from Penn State this offseason? The Gators just got richer.

A 6-4 receiver with elite speed and the ability to catch anything thrown his way is not easy to come by these days, but Justin Shorter gave Dan Mullen yet another weapon in his offense.

Mullen is no stranger to the transfer portal and landing one of the best receivers on the market has brought even more excitement to Gainesville. Florida hasn’t had a single receiver account for over 700 yards under Mullen but Shorter could be a game-changer.

The former five-star and No. 1 receiver in the 2018 class didn’t see a ton of playing time with Penn State in his two years there and decided to hit the portal in the middle of the season in hopes of finding a new home that could get him the ball more. He had just 15 receptions for 157 yards in two seasons and he felt he was capable of much more.

But what type of impact will he have on the Gators right away?

It’s uncertain whether or not the New Jersey-native is going to apply for a waiver of immediate eligibility, but if he does and it’s granted, he could have a major impact in 2020.

Van Jefferson, Freddie Swain, Tyrie Cleveland and Josh Hammond are all departing — that’s four of the top six receivers from 2019 — which leaves multiple openings on the depth chart. Sure, there are younger guys who could fill in, but it’d be awfully difficult to pass up a 6-4 target with two years of collegiate experience at a successful Power Five program.

Penn State fans may not have seen Shorter flourish in a Nittany Lion uniform, but he’ll look good as a Gator and he’ll make James Franklin wish he could have kept him.

Don’t sleep on Shorter because of his lack of production at Penn State because his slate has been wiped clean. Give him a solid quarterback and this kid will be a star.