Florida head coach Dan Mullen and the Gators made a splash in the transfer portal Wednesday with the commitment of former Penn State defensive tackle Antonio Shelton.
Shelton, who stands at 6 feet, 2 inches and 327 pounds, entered the transfer portal on Dec. 23. A graduate transfer, he was a Nittany Lion for the past five years. This is the second consecutive offseason a Penn State transfer chose UF as the lineman reunites with wide receiver Justin Shorter.
After redshirting as a freshman in 2016, Shelton amassed 51 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and six sacks the next four seasons. The lineman had three-and-a-half sacks his final season at Penn State, including one-and-a-half in a game against Michigan State last month.
Shelton, a Columbus, Ohio, native, was a three-star prospect coming out of high school, according to 247 Sports. He was the 82nd defensive tackle in the class of 2016. He’s listed at 47 pounds heavier now than he was coming out of high school.
Shelton now fits into a depth chart in the middle of the defensive line that includes standout 2020 recruit Gervon Dexter, fellow freshmen Jalen Lee and Lamar Goods and redshirt freshman Jaelin Humphries. The Gators will also welcome 2021 signees Christopher Thomas and Desmond Watson.
Redshirt senior Marlon Dunlap and senior Tedarrell Slaton, the interior starters from this past season, can return for another year if they choose. If both leave, Shelton will be the oldest tackle on the roster by three years.
Contact Ryan Haley at rhaley@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @ryan_dhaley
Ryan Haley, a UF journalism senior with a sports & media specialization from Jacksonville, Florida, is Summer 2022's Engagement Managing Editor. He grew up playing a bunch of different sports before settling on golf, following Rory McIlroy and all Philadelphia sports teams. He also loves all things fiction, reading, watching shows and movies and talking about whatever current story or character is in his head.
