Rashod Bateman

Rashod Bateman is an American football wide receiver for the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the Big Ten Conference.

Rashod Bateman
Minnesota Golden Gophers – No. 13
PositionWide receiver
ClassSophomore
Career history
College
Bowl games
High schoolTift County (Tifton, Georgia)
Personal information
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career highlights and awards
  • First team All-Big Ten (2019)
  • Richter–Howard Receiver of the Year (2019)

Early years

Bateman grew up in Tifton, Georgia and attended Tift County High School. Bateman caught 56 passes for 825 yards and five touchdowns in his junior season and committed to play college football at the University of Minnesota the following summer upon receiving a scholarship offer from the school.[1] As a senior, he was named first team All-State after catching 83 passes for 1,539 yards and 21 touchdowns.[2] Bateman's productive senior season led to him receiving late recruiting interest from many top-level college programs, but he chose to stick to his commitment to Minnesota.[3]

College career

Bateman started at wide receiver as a true freshman and set Minnesota freshman records with 51 receptions and 704 receiving yards while scoring six touchdowns.[4][5] As a sophomore, Bateman was named a semi-finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award and first team All-Big Ten and the Richter–Howard Receiver of the Year after catching 57 passes for 1,170 yards (20.5 yards per catch) and 11 touchdowns.[6][7] Bateman was named a second team All-American by Sports Illustrated and USA Today and was a third team selection by the Associated Press.[8]

On August 4, 2020, Batemen announced that he will forego his junior season at Minnesota due to the uncertainties in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. He became the second high-profile player after Caleb Farley of Virginia Tech to opt out of the season in favor of preparation for the 2021 NFL draft.[9]

References
  1. Wiltong, Steve (June 12, 2017). "Bateman earns Minnesota offer, commits right away". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  2. Parker, Danny (December 10, 2017). "Bateman gains offer from Big Orange". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  3. Johnson, Randy (November 9, 2018). "Rashod Bateman finds his form after standing firm to Gophers". APNews.com. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  4. Ryan, Megan (August 15, 2019). "Gophers receiver Rashod Bateman looks to build on record freshman season". Star Tribune. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  5. Graff, Chad (November 21, 2019). "How Rashod Bateman found the Gophers — and why he stuck with them". The Athletic. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  6. Greder, Andy (November 20, 2019). "Scary thought: Gophers receiver Rashod Bateman has a 'lot of room to grow'". Star Tribune. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  7. Ruane, Blake (December 4, 2019). "Minnesota Football: Rashod Bateman named Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year". TheDailyGopher.com. SB Nation. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  8. Russo, Ralph (December 17, 2019). "University of Minnesota players Winfield, Bateman earn All-American honors". Owatonna People's Press. Associated Press. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  9. Cooper, Sam (August 4, 2020). "Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman becomes second NFL draft prospect to opt out due to COVID-19 concerns". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
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