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Keary Colbert impressed with Justin Shorter's work ethic

Untitled designby: Nick de la Torre04/05/22delatorre
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Photo Courtesy of UAA Communications / Isabella Marley

The 2021 season left Florida Gators receiver Justin Shorter with a bad taste in his mouth.

Last year plays out in his head every day this spring as he spends an extra 30-45 minutes catching passes from the JUGGS machine.

“My goal usually is to be the last one off the field,” Shorter said. And he typically is.

Personally, his 2021 season was fine. Shorter tied for the most receptions on the team (41) and was second in yards (550) and touchdowns (3). Those numbers don’t jump off the page but that wasn’t the main motivator to return to the Gators.

“Just thinking about last year, every loss, it makes me so angry, like upset,” Shorter said after the ninth spring practice. “I’d really say just as, like, all of us like, every single player is just so pissed off from last year. We’re all just trying to come back and get after it really.”

Florida’s season quickly spiraled out of control. The Gators looked like a contender when Alabama came to visit on September 18. They looked far less competent in October and November. As a player on the team, Shorter took the season personally.

It was a failure from top down and resulted in a coaching change. That new beginning was intriguing to Shorter, who is playing for his third coaching staff at two schools. The new staff didn’t have to recruit Shorter much. He was set on coming back and righting the wrongs from 2021.

That doesn’t mean he hasn’t bought in and is looking to get the most out of new leadership.

Cobert impressed with Shorter

Keary Colbert, 39, has been around the game a while. He was a second-round pick and spent seven years in the NFL.

Colbert coached at Alabama and USC, his alma mater. He knows what it takes to go from college starter to an NFL roster. In a short time, he sees that drive and passion from Shorter.

“That guy works his tail off, I’ll tell you that. Every single day, every single play, sometimes I gotta kind of slow him down and get him to kind of take a little off of his body as far as like, on an off day and stuff like that because he always wants to go,” Colbert said of Shorter. “He’s always trying to get better, which is a good thing. But he’s been a joy to be around and to coach because it means something to him.”

Florida’s receiver room doesn’t have a lot of returning production. Shorter is taking on a leadership role among the young group.

“He leads by example by just how he takes care of his body, how he’s always up here, whether it’s in the weight room or he’s in here catching Juggs,” Colbert said. “I think for the young guys or guys coming in they’ll see that and kind of understand that’s the way to go as far as having a work ethic and being serious and being serious about your craft.

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