Minnesota Football: Who’ll replace Rashod Bateman as WR1?
By Nick Fiore
1. Chris Autman-Bell, Junior
Chris Autman-Bell was slotted as a likely starter in 2020 with Tyler Johnson’s departure. Now with Rashod Bateman opting out, he’s the leading returning receiver for the Gophers.
In 2019, he had 28 catches for 371 yards and five touchdowns. His numbers don’t jump off the page but with Johnson and Bateman getting the majority of balls, it was tough to put up numbers last year.
Johnson and Bateman each had 60 plus catches for 1,200 plus yards in 2019.
As a freshman in 2018, he led the team in yards per reception with 16.03 after catching 28 balls for 449 yards. This season, he’ll have a lot more opportunities. In his limited action last year, he had some impressive plays. Against Fresno State with 40 seconds left, he caught a back-shoulder jump ball for a touchdown to tie the game. He had to adjust mid-air and then get one foot down in the back of the end zone.
With Tanner Morgan under center the Gophers will be passing the ball a good amount and there will be plenty of receptions to go around. Look for Autman-Bell to take a major step up this season and try to eclipse that 1,000-yard mark.