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J.D. Shorter carried out the same weekly workout routine with his son, Florida receiver transfer Justin Shorter, during his four years of high school.

His father would wake him up at 5 a.m., mostly on weekdays, for a throwing session as well as trips to the gym and practice field. The extra work helped Shorter, who didn’t start playing football until eighth grade, develop into a top-20 overall recruit in the Class of 2018.

Back home in New Jersey since December of last year, Shorter has been working out with his father once again. Times have changed, though.

“When he was in high school, I had to get Justin up every morning,” Shorter said. “I’d have to ask him, ‘Hey, do you want to go to the field and work out or do you want to go throw?’

“But since he’s been back home, he just goes and works out on his own. I don’t even have to say, ‘Hey, you coming?’ He’s texting me asking what time we’re going to throw. So now, he’s kind of on autopilot.”

His next stop is Florida.

He’s spent the past six months working tirelessly for his arrival. He catches 150 balls a day with his father, lifts weights in their basement and trains every other day with players from Pitt and Rutgers.

No direction needed from dad.

“It’s all him,” his father said. “That’s why I can tell he has that hunger. He’s really focused and wants to live up to the potential that’s out there for him. He’s just ready to get back to football and hopefully show everyone in Florida what he really can do.”

Shorter’s opportunities were few and far between in a Penn State passing offense that 77th and 76th, respectively, during his two years there. Only one wideout outside of star receiver K.J. Hamler recorded more than 20 catches last season.

Shorter finished 2019 with 12 receptions for 137 yards, with his best game coming at No. 2 Ohio State. He caught three balls against Buckeyes cornerback Jeff Okudah, the third overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

“After he went against Okudah,” his father said, “he’s like, ‘Dad, I know I can play. I’m doing all that I can.’ There just weren’t enough opportunities in the offense. But you know how the media is, ‘Here’s this five-star kid that’s not doing anything.’ So it was a tough situation for Justin.”

As he and his father began their search for a new school, they prioritized finding an offense that not only put up yards in the passing game, but spread the ball around to multiple receivers.

Florida fit the bill with quarterback Kyle Trask and his WR corps. Six UF wideouts made 20-plus catches last season and five different players had seven 90-yard receiving games for the first time since 2007.

“Justin and I sat down and watched games of Florida on tape and you can just see that they get their receivers involved a lot. They’re a high-powered passing offense,” Shorter said. “The one thing we loved is just because a receiver didn’t run the right route or catch the ball, they went back to him. There’s more opportunities and they depend on sharing the ball. And, all the wide receivers support one another. That’s something that we both noticed.

“And that’s key. It has to be a team concept. They may take someone over and double, and the other guy’s gotta step up and play. So it was just awesome to see their offense and how they get everyone involved and how they truly care about the players.”