The Athletic: How Rashod Bateman found the Gophers — and why he stuck with them

BleedGopher

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Great read from Chad:

A couple days before the Gophers hosted Penn State in the program’s most important game in decades, Rashod Bateman called his mom. They’ve been close his whole life and it can occasionally be tough with her so far away, living in his hometown of Tifton, Ga., so they talk often.

LaShonda Cromer asked her son how he felt about the looming contest. For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. Then Bateman started talking about his dreams.

He told her how he always wanted to play in games like this one, a nationally-televised affair between top-20 teams. The spotlight was on, and Bateman told his mom that brought the best out of him. It’s part of why he grew up in Georgia dreaming of playing under the lights in the SEC. He thought playing at The Swamp in Florida would be awesome.

Those thoughts had subsided in recent years, though, now a sophomore at Minnesota. But, this, he told his mom, was his first chance to play in that kind of atmosphere.

Cromer came to Minnesota for the game. She’s only missed one of Bateman’s college games and that was because of a hurricane in Georgia last year. From her seat at TCF Bank Stadium that beautiful November day, she watched her son haul in seven catches for 203 yards and a touchdown, only the second Gopher ever to put up at least 200 receiving yards. She watched fans storm the field to celebrate a win over Penn State. And she read two weeks later about Bateman’s spot as a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award given to the nation’s best wide receiver, left in those moments reflecting on her phone call with Bateman before the Penn State contest.

“That was the type of game,” Cromer said, “that he’s always wanted to play in.”


Go Gophers!!
 

Love all the press Bateman is getting. Would expect him to enter next year viewed as one of the premier receivers in college football. Great for recruits to see a Georgia kid staring up in Minnesota and getting lots of National recognition.
 

I appreciate not just copying and pasting the whole article. The Athletic has some high quality stuff, and is one of few sites that I feel earn that paywall. If anyone isn't subscribed, I'd strongly recommend it.
 

This is a great article and I was just talking to my dad about our genuine disbelief in having the best passing attack in the B1G this year. This is a really great article on Bateman, and having lived in SEC country it really emphasizes how nuts the culture is down there for football and what a pull an SEC scholly means. Major props to Bateman to sticking with his initial commitment when no one would have been surprised if he would have flipped at the last second.

I also agree with Fair that the Athletic has been well worth my money.
 

When Tyler Johnson is in the NFL next year, Bateman's stats are liable to skyrocket. He's going to be big stuff by the time he graduates.
 


When Tyler Johnson is in the NFL next year, Bateman's stats are liable to skyrocket. He's going to be big stuff by the time he graduates.
Hopefully CAB has a good year so it takes some of the pressure off Bateman. I'm assuming he'll get double teamed a lot, especially if CAB or another WR doesn't step up.
 




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