In one of the first major recruiting battles of the P.J. Fleck era, the Gophers managed to fend off SEC powers to land four-star wide receiver Rashod Bateman. Not many people realized it at the time, but this was a visionary move.
Bateman, a pure athlete from Georgia was under recruited during the early stages of his high school career. He was a powerhouse basketball player with offers from Virginia Tech and Penn State, but football was his sport. P.J. Fleck and the coaching staff hosted a satellite camp in Georgia and were impressed with his skill-set. They offered him on the spot and Bateman quickly committed.