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T race McSorley wasn't asked for a name. Meeting with the media following the Nittany Lions' 27-24 Citrus Bowl loss to Kentucky, the graduating senior quarter- back was only asked to assess the state of the program he was about to leave. But after talking generally about the po- tential of the younger players, he cited one player specifically. "The month that Justin Shorter had [during bowl practice], in my mind, was the best month I've seen out of any of those kids," McSorley said. "He grew by leaps and bounds in that last month. And that can be said for all those guys. They just continue to get better and better." Shorter's season leading up to those practices had been quiet. The former Ri- vals.com five-star wideout appeared in only four games and made exactly two impressions on the stat page during the regular season: a 9-yard rush against Rutgers and a 3-yard reception against Wisconsin. There had been speculation going into the season that Shorter would be an im- mediate contributor. But he was injured in preseason practice, and while he was healthy enough to see action in a mid- September matchup with Kent State, a game in which coach James Franklin took advantage of the opportunity to get many of his true freshmen on the field, Shorter didn't play again until the 10th week of the season. Describing Shorter's status as "kind of a week-to-week deal" in October, Franklin laid the groundwork for a prob- able redshirt season for the No. 18 overall prospect in the Class of 2018. At that point in the season, there were still a lot of options available to the coaching staff, not just with regard to Shorter but to all the team's true freshmen. "If they keep improving or we have some deficiencies or injuries or things like that where those guys can jump in and help us, we still have the ability at this point in the season to green light them and play them the rest of the season," Franklin said. "Or we still have the ability to use their four games, and each week we'll take it week-by-week and see what we think is the best scenario to give our team the best chance to be successful." Ultimately, the staff decided to preserve Shorter's freshman eligibility. That meant he could play in only four games. In addi- tion to his debut against Kent State, he saw action in the late-season games against the Badgers and Scarlet Knights, then sat out the regular-season finale vs. Maryland so that he would be able to play in the bowl game. Against Kentucky, Shorter caught two passes for 17 yards. Maybe more impor- tant, in a game in which the Nittany Lions ran 75 plays from scrimmage, Shorter was on the field for 36 of them according to Pro Football Focus's advanced statistics. The number nearly doubled Shorter's total snap count for his three previous outings, setting up an off-season with an opportunity for further development. Fellow receiver K.J. Hamler said Shorter needs to focus on one specific area. "He's got to learn to trust in himself. He doesn't really trust in himself and believe in himself sometimes," Hamler said. "I keep telling him, 'You've got to relax. You're too tense.' " During the regular season, Franklin said Shorter showed "real flashes" in practice. Hamler, who led the Lions in catches and receiving yards as a redshirt freshman, intends to help his teammate turn those bursts into sustained performances. "Sometimes he drops balls in practice that he shouldn't drop and he knows he can make them. But he's all uptight," Hamler said. "So I'm going to work with him this summer. We all are. We're going to be a different wide receiver unit come next fall. He's just got to be more relaxed and trust himself." ■ A T T H E 2 0 1 9 N I T T A N Y L I O N S Shorter's finish seen as sign of things to come | GOING DEEP In the final game of his true fresh- man season, Shorter was on the field for 36 of the Nittany Lions' 75 offensive plays against Kentucky, making two catches for 17 yards. Photo by Steve Manuel

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