BleedGopher
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per Randy:
One by one, they traveled to southern Georgia last fall, Southeastern Conference football coaches hoping to lure Tift County High School’s wide receiver phenom.
And one by one, Rashod Bateman turned them away. He wasn’t being rude, mind you. He was just steadfast in the commitment that he had given Gophers coach P.J. Fleck.
“When Coach [Jeremy] Pruitt just got the job at Tennessee, they came down here in full force and offered Rashod,” said Ashley Anders, Tift County’s coach. “Basically, Rashod said, ‘Coach, I don’t even want to talk to them.’ I called him, and said, ‘Look, they’re here to see you.’ He said, ‘Nah, Coach. I need to stay in econ class.’ ”
Even Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who would lead the Bulldogs to the national championship game, got a bit of a stiff-arm from Bateman when he arrived in Tifton.
“He said, ‘Look, I’m not going to pressure the kid. I just want to talk to him and tell him the University of Georgia wants him,’ ” said Anders, who was an assistant coach with Smart at Valdosta State. “So, Rashod agreed to talk to him. I guess after the conversation, Coach Smart invited him on an official visit, and Rashod said, ‘Coach, I appreciate you coming, but I’m going to Minnesota.’ ”
http://www.startribune.com/rashod-bateman-finds-his-form-after-standing-firm-to-gophers/500183642/
Go Gophers!!
One by one, they traveled to southern Georgia last fall, Southeastern Conference football coaches hoping to lure Tift County High School’s wide receiver phenom.
And one by one, Rashod Bateman turned them away. He wasn’t being rude, mind you. He was just steadfast in the commitment that he had given Gophers coach P.J. Fleck.
“When Coach [Jeremy] Pruitt just got the job at Tennessee, they came down here in full force and offered Rashod,” said Ashley Anders, Tift County’s coach. “Basically, Rashod said, ‘Coach, I don’t even want to talk to them.’ I called him, and said, ‘Look, they’re here to see you.’ He said, ‘Nah, Coach. I need to stay in econ class.’ ”
Even Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who would lead the Bulldogs to the national championship game, got a bit of a stiff-arm from Bateman when he arrived in Tifton.
“He said, ‘Look, I’m not going to pressure the kid. I just want to talk to him and tell him the University of Georgia wants him,’ ” said Anders, who was an assistant coach with Smart at Valdosta State. “So, Rashod agreed to talk to him. I guess after the conversation, Coach Smart invited him on an official visit, and Rashod said, ‘Coach, I appreciate you coming, but I’m going to Minnesota.’ ”
http://www.startribune.com/rashod-bateman-finds-his-form-after-standing-firm-to-gophers/500183642/
Go Gophers!!
