Athlete of the Week: Shelton-Mosley Impresses On Big Stage

It’s safe to say receiver Justice Shelton-Mosley had a decent season for a freshman. The unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Shelton-Mosley was also named to the All-Ivy First Team as a return specialist and ended the season with four straight Ivy League Rookie of the Week performances.

Last weekend, Shelton-Mosley participated in his first playing of The Game. Following the program’s first loss in over two years to Penn the week before, the Harvard football team struggled early. After scoring on the first drive, the Crimson were forced to punt in each of their next three drives. Similar to last season, the game, tied at 7-7, seemed evenly matched through 15 minutes of play.

Harvard found itself down early in the first quarter when Yale quarterback Morgan Roberts found receiver Christopher Williams-Lopez on a 4th-and-12 for a 28-yard touchdown on the Bulldogs’ first possession. Then the Crimson offense, spurred by Shelton-Mosley, got its shot.

“We had a third and long,” senior quarterback Scott Hosch said. “Justice ran a great route, so much speed and athleticism over there, and he got behind the defense. I was able to put the ball out there. He was able to score, and we were able to bounce back.”

After playing in some tight contests over the last few weeks, the Crimson looked to get some distance from the Bulldogs, and that separation came in the form of Shelton-Mosley. While his first score showed his speed, his second score of the day demonstrated his video-game like agility.

Early in the second quarter, with the squad driving at the Yale 35 yard-line, Shelton-Mosley caught a bullet from Hosch over the middle. The 5’10” receiver quickly juked out his defender, who proceeded to fall on the ground, and walked in for his second score of the day.

In addition to his two reception touchdowns, Shelton-Mosley also scored the first rushing touchdown of his career by way of an eight yard carry in the fourth quarter. The freshman finished the day with 119 yards receiving on five catches, eight yards rushing, and 26 return yards to total 153 all-purpose yards.

However, it isn’t just his ability to score that garners praise for Shelton-Mosley from teammates and coaches alike. The receiver has routinely been able to get yards out of what seems like a busted play, using his breakneck speed and deft turns to elude tackles.

“It’s unbelievable,” Hosch said. “One play comes to mind...I just throw him a simple slant route in the flat to the left, we kind of get stopped...and he just catches that thing and turns down and gets like 40 yards.”

In his first game against Harvard’s oldest rival, Shelton-Mosley led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns, proving to be an integral part in the Crimson’s 38-19 victory over Yale.

“It’s definitely a blessing,” Shelton-Mosley said. “It was amazing to be out there and see all the alumni, and it just kind of showed me what kind of tradition that I’ve just got into, what I’m part of now. It’s going to be amazing to see [Hosch] come back next year [as an alum]. It’s just a blessing to be part of such a great tradition, and to be able to go out there and play well.”

The receiver ended the season with 589 receiving yards, second only behind senior tight-end Ben Braunecker. He led the team in both all-purpose and return yards with 1140 and 331, respectively. Moreover, he was the only freshman with more than 50 receiving yards throughout the season, and the only freshman back who played in all 10 contests.

Shelton-Mosley’s 19.0 yards per punt return were the most for any Harvard player in the program’s history and led the next highest Ivy League player by more than seven yards per return—and he has another three years to develop as a collegiate player.

“He’s a great player,” Yale coach Tony Reno said. “When he gets the ball in his hands, he’s electric with it. He’s one of those guys who accelerates really well, and he changes directions really well. For a guy his size, he’s really difficult to tackle. Very good football player.”