WHAT HE DID: A three year-starter, Shorter caught 112 career passes for 1,822 yards and 21 touchdowns. As a senior he had his lowest averages but still managed 14.5 yards per reception for 43.5 yards per game. He had defenses cueing on him since he was a sophomore, a season in which he caught 31 passes for 582 yards, setting career highs with 18.8 YPC and eight total touchdowns. Shorter helped his team to a NJSIAA Central Group 5 State Championship that season, beating Old Bridge, 42-0, in the final. South Brunswick did it again in Shorter’s senior year, beating Manalapan, 18-16. He recorded 86 yards and a touchdown in this year's state championship game.
WHAT HE WON: Shorter earned first-team all-Metro and all-state honors in 2017. He was also named Player of the Year in the Greater Middlesex Conference this season. A Rivals four-star prospect, Shorter was selected to the Under-Armour All-America game. He is considered the best overall prospect in New Jersey for the Class of 2018 and No. 47 overall in the country. Rivals has him as the 10th-best wide receiver.
WHERE HE VISITED: Michigan, Rutgers and Virginia Tech were the only other offers that Shorter seriously considered, but no one truly threatened Penn State. He made his decision in early August before his junior season and never looked back. Shorter took nine unofficial visits to Penn State in 2017. He used his official visit Dec. 8-10.
QUOTABLE: “For what comes natural to me, I’d say that my speed and route-running is a strength of mine. I’ve always taken that very seriously. In practice, I really emphasize and make sure that I’m running the correct yardage and things like that. My speed really helps with that, too. That’s always been one of my biggest strengths. That really helps me breakaway from the corners and safeties. I think my height helps with that, too. For things that I’d like to improve on, I’d have to say everything. There isn’t anything that I can’t improve on. Even the best players in the world can always improve on different things.”
PHIL’S TAKE: Following Nike’s The Opening camp back in July, Shorter emerged as one of the top wide receiver prospects in the entire nation for the Class of 2018. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, he’s physically similar to Juwan Johnson coming out of high school. With the departures of Saeed Blacknall and DaeSean Hamilton, there’s a real chance that Shorter could make an impact at one of the two outside receiver positions his freshman year. A polished route runner, Shorter has 4.5 second 40-yard speed and consistently catches the football at its high point. He has the potential to be Penn State’s next great wide receiver.
