Tyrann Mathieu Watched Rashod Bateman Highlights for the First Time Today and has Just One Question…

By Eric Strack |

Updated: Jul 1, 2021

Remember back when we used to go places where friends, families and/or even strangers were gathered in small, medium or (god forbid) large gatherings? Yeah, those were the days…

Well back in the good ole’ days, when I didn’t have to leave my house before sunrise to buy ass or Clorox wipes and people-watching wasn’t extremely frowned upon… I always liked judging the other couples around me. Maybe some wives hate their husbands as much as mine hates me… (you never know).

This tweet thread I just ran into, involving (Kansas City Chiefs, DB) Tyrann Mathieu and (Minnesota Gophers, WR) Rashod Bateman, reminds me of a specific couple you might see while out people-watching back in the good ole’ days.

On the surface, this couple seems to be a one-sided affair, in the looks department. One half looks like he/she has out-kicked his/her coverage by at least 6 points on a scale of 1 to 10.

If you look a bit closer though, you’ll quickly realize that the other half of the relationship might be just a haircut, LASIK surgery and a completed P90X video series away, from being quite the “looker” themselves.

Here’s the entire thread where Tyrann Mathieu meets Rashod Bateman, along with the only question that comes to his mind after watching Rashod’s highlights. This type of back-and-forth is why Twitter’s the best social media platform.

Easy to see star WR Rashod Bateman going higher than Winfield next year. https://t.co/cuRJmYb0q0
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 26, 2020

Co-sign. Bateman is outstanding. https://t.co/AeHBdHNWvu
— Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) April 26, 2020

Send link terez
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) April 26, 2020

Think he'll still be available by the 32nd pick next year? ?
— MelanieM (@MelMEsq) April 26, 2020

Maybe. But I could see someone like Jaylen Waddle being the pick, too. He is right up their alley.
— Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) April 26, 2020

I got one question ? How’d he get to Minnesota ?
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) April 26, 2020

Rashod Bateman is an obvious 10 out of 10. He’s a specimen of a wide receiver who stands out, at the college level, every time he steps on the field. In this Twitter reality, Mathieu is that people-watcher whose wondering how in the hell this dime-piece ended up with someone like the Minnesota Golden Gophers… who haven’t gotten a date to prom since the USA quit taking trips to the moon.

Well, the long form answer is HERE. The medium form answer is that PJ Fleck and his staff saw Bateman early in his recruitment, at a satellite camp in Atlanta, where they were the first major school to offer him and he committed right away. Then, he had his senior year and lit up the high school football scene in Georgia. That’s when he got offers from every SEC school who could find his address… including his favorite team, the Georgia Bulldogs.

Bateman is loyal and Fleck is the best recruiter in the nation so Bateman held tight. The pull on him was so great, however, that he had to get a “RTB” tattoo on his forearm and post it to social media in order to stop other schools from calling.

? pic.twitter.com/gcZsXwOSLN
— Rashod Bateman (@R_bateman2) May 6, 2018

What those like Tyrann Mathieu don’t know, is that Minnesota Football is/was a sleeping giant that nobody saw waking up… (or that anyone even realized was there)… except for PJ Fleck. He saw the history. He saw the Big Ten opportunity, especially in the West… and he saw gold… maroon and gold.

Fast-forward back to the present. Bateman just finished a historic Sophomore season and is looking forward to a third year that could propel him into the first round of next year’s NFL draft. He’ll be surrounded by most of the same offensive teammates that return from a historic 11-win 2019 season.

Looking forward, PJ has verbally secured a 2021 incoming class that currently ranks #2 in the Big Ten and #5 in the nation (according to 247Sports.com)… and has Tyrann Mathieu wondering WTF is happening to recruiting in the SEC.

This won’t be the last time we see someone noteworthy open their eyes to what PJ Fleck is doing up here in the Minnesota “cold”. It’s just the beginning. Oh… and to answer Tyrann’s Mathieu’s question above, “how did [Bateman] get to Minnesota”, in short form:

He rowed here.