Blue White Illustrated

plans, too. But when I reached out to Coach [Josh] Gattis to explain that we were trying to check out the school, he cleared his schedule to make sure he was there that day. He didn't have to do that. He could have spent time with his fam- ily, especially with the season being so close, but he elected to make time for us. So, before we even got there, I really ap- preciated that. I thought that showed how much he cares. When we got there then, I felt so com- fortable with Coach Gattis. It was very easy to talk with him. He's just easy to relate with. He's also had a lot of suc- cess over the years, so I felt like he would be a good coach for me to learn from. Also, when I got to go around and see all the upgrades they were making, I thought it was all very nice. On my 3rst visit, one thing we checked out a lot was the new academic center. It's very nice. It really showed me how much they care about academics there. So, between the education I could get from the school, plus hearing about all the fans they have and the support they have, I was very interested. I knew this was a great pro- gram. BWI You ended up going out to both Pitt and Michigan for visits about a week later, but before you went home, you stopped by Penn State for a second visit. Was that planned? Were you and your family always planning to stop at PSU again? Or was that a late decision since you were in the area a6er traveling back from Pitt? SHORTER Since all of the coaches weren't available on the Saturday we went up there, we weren't able to get the complete tour of everything, so that's why we decided to go back. A6er visit- ing those other two schools, which were both very nice, we wanted to fairly eval- uate all of the schools, so that's why we stopped in at Penn State again. A6er visiting Penn State for the 3rst time, I thought very highly of everything. They were already at the top of my list, but there were still a few things that I wanted to do. One of the highlights of that second visit was going in-depth with the peo- ple who run the engineering program. Academics were always going to be very important to me. I knew Penn State had a very good program for engineering, so it was nice to meet with the academic advisors who were in charge of that program. They explained everything that I need to know about the program and how it will work with football. I know it won't be easy, but I also know I'll get the support I need to accomplish my goals. BWI You also got to meet with James Franklin during that second visit. How important was that meeting? SHORTER That was great. A6er the 3rst visit, I was able to call him that night to speak with him. I enjoyed that talk, but on the second visit, I was able to talk to him in his o5ce, which was nice. We learned a lot about his plans for the program. I felt very happy and com- fortable talking to him and learning more about the football program. A6er that talk, I think my whole family felt as if his intentions were in the right place. I know he really cares about his guys and wants them to succeed in more than just football. We all felt that right away a6er talking to Coach Franklin. BWI So when did you know that you wanted to commit to Penn State? I know you didn't announce publicly until Aug. 6, but when did you actually commit to the coaching sta4? SHORTER Well, a6er my 3rst visit, I had that feeling. When I talked to my teammates about it, they were all saying that I have to go with my heart when you get that feeling, so I was feeling really good about Penn State a6er that 3rst visit, but my family and I still wanted to make sure we saw some other colleges. All of the other colleges were great, but Penn State really stood out to me. I felt very comfortable with everything they had to o4er. I just knew that was the place I had to be. I actually committed during my sec- ond visit. We were there from 10 in the morning until 8:30 at night, so I spent a lot of time there that day. I knew that night what I wanted to do, so I told the coaches then. They were all very excited. I was pumped. It was a great feeling. I just decided to hold o4 for a few days to put it out there publicly on the Internet. My brother was moving into his dorm that weekend, so I wanted to help him and my family before we made this all public. BWI What would you say are your strengths as a wide receiver? What are a few things that just come naturally to you out on the 3eld? Also, what are one or two things that you want to improve on before you enroll at Penn State? SHORTER I'd say that my speed and route-running are strengths of mine. I've always taken that very seriously. In practice, I really emphasize and make sure that I'm running the correct yardage. My speed really helps with that, too. That's always been one of my biggest strengths. That really helps me break away from the corners and safeties. I think my height helps with that, too. As for things that I'd like to improve on, I'd have to say everything. Even the best players in the world can always improve on different things. For me, I'm still in high school, so I have so many different things that I can still improve on. I'm very fortunate to be in the position I am, but I know that I'm still far from being the best player that I can be. BWI How active do you plan to be when it comes to recruiting other prospects? I know you've already spoken with Pat Freiermuth and one or two other guys. Do you plan to attend a lot of games and maybe contact other players on Twitter? Or are you the kind of guy who just lets players come to you be- cause you don't want to bug them? What kind of approach do you plan to take when it comes to helping the coaching sta4 recruit? SHORTER I've already began reaching out to guys. Like you said, I talked to Pat the other night when he committed, but I've been talking to other players, too. One player I've been talking with already is Justin Fields, who's a quarterback that the sta4 thinks very highly of. I've al- ready talked to him a little bit. I'm just

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