Florida Gators senior wide receiver Justin Shorter has accepted his invitation to participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl. Shorter transferred from Penn State for the 2020 season and has been with the Florida program ever since. Shorter is a fifth year senior, and a former five-star recruit.
He has been second on the team in receiving yards the past two years. Shorter had 577 receiving yards in just nine games this past season. He missed three games this year due to a hamstring injury. The improvements he made this season were very apparent. He surpassed his total yardage in three fewer games and increased his yards per reception by 6.5 yards.
Shorter is out of eligibility and will set his sights on the NFL Draft. The beginning of that process for him is in Las Vegas with the Shrine Bowl.
Justin Shorter’s Shrine Bowl Prospects
Justin Shorter is one of the bigger names that has currently accepted their Shrine Bowl invite, although the room is far from full. Currently, Zay Flowers out of Boston College and Jadon Haselwood from Arkansas are the other big names.
Flowers, Haselwood and Shorter are joined at the Shrine Bowl by Jadakis Bonds from Hampton and Dallas Daniels from Jackson State. Clayton Tune from Houston and Aidan O’Connell will play at quarterback in the game.
The East-West Shrine Bowl will take place on February 2, 2023, and is played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. If Shorter is able to impress, he can improve his draft stock dramatically. Shorter has improved as a deep threat, and if he can do that against other NFL prospects it should help his draft stock. Shorter also needs to show his versatility to run a full route tree and to not just be a jump ball receiver. If he can do so, he has a chance to rise up boards.