Sid: Rashod Bateman blossomed late in high school career before becoming star with Gophers

BleedGopher

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per Sid:


Rashod Bateman is the most talented young receiver in the country, and while he only had two receptions for 22 yards last year at Wisconsin, he will have to have a big day Saturday if the Gophers are to top the Badgers and reach the Big Ten championship game.

Bateman is a sophomore from Tift County High School in Tifton, Ga. His prep coach, Ashley Anders, said that the receiver’s success wasn’t the kind of thing you could predict.

“I’ve seen guys at this level where you don’t think they’re ever going to play for you at all and they end up becoming good players, maybe not college-level players but really, really good high school football players,” Anders said. “Then you have those kids like Rashod who you’re predicting them to be really good high school players and then when they get to the next level they just kind of explode. I think that’s what Rashod has done.”

Yes, Bateman was a late bloomer. After his senior season he stuck to his Gophers commitment, even after schools such as Tennessee, Georgia and Texas A&M came after him.

“You know he was a gradual player — I don’t know if that makes sense — but when he was really young in middle school, you knew he had some ability, but he just kind of got better and better every year,” Anders said. “He didn’t put up the numbers as a junior like he did as a senior. Probably toward the end of his senior year he was leading the state of Georgia in receiving. I think that’s when he really kind of took off.”

Still, Anders said it was Bateman’s decision to stick with the Gophers that proved what kind of a young man he was.

“I have the most respect in the world for Rashod because he committed and he understands and knows what commitment means,” Anders said. “He held his guns. That’s one reason why I think he is having such a great career at Minnesota.”


Go Gophers!!
 

per Sid:


Rashod Bateman is the most talented young receiver in the country, and while he only had two receptions for 22 yards last year at Wisconsin, he will have to have a big day Saturday if the Gophers are to top the Badgers and reach the Big Ten championship game.

Bateman is a sophomore from Tift County High School in Tifton, Ga. His prep coach, Ashley Anders, said that the receiver’s success wasn’t the kind of thing you could predict.

“I’ve seen guys at this level where you don’t think they’re ever going to play for you at all and they end up becoming good players, maybe not college-level players but really, really good high school football players,” Anders said. “Then you have those kids like Rashod who you’re predicting them to be really good high school players and then when they get to the next level they just kind of explode. I think that’s what Rashod has done.”

Yes, Bateman was a late bloomer. After his senior season he stuck to his Gophers commitment, even after schools such as Tennessee, Georgia and Texas A&M came after him.

“You know he was a gradual player — I don’t know if that makes sense — but when he was really young in middle school, you knew he had some ability, but he just kind of got better and better every year,” Anders said. “He didn’t put up the numbers as a junior like he did as a senior. Probably toward the end of his senior year he was leading the state of Georgia in receiving. I think that’s when he really kind of took off.”

Still, Anders said it was Bateman’s decision to stick with the Gophers that proved what kind of a young man he was.

“I have the most respect in the world for Rashod because he committed and he understands and knows what commitment means,” Anders said. “He held his guns. That’s one reason why I think he is having such a great career at Minnesota.”


Go Gophers!!

I heard that Kirby Smart and Georgia made a huge push for Rashod late in the recruiting cycle. But, it was too late. Rashod had "Row The Boat" tattooed on his arm, LOL!
 

I'll remember that one hand catch forever.

And the Indiana game winner last year.

There were of course more important catches, but those will stick with me.
 

His performance against PSU on national tv is his arrival to the nation. We all knew, well most of us knew, we have a stud on our hands.
 






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