Former Gophers’ defensive back Benjamin St-Juste is headed to the NFL after being selected 74th overall by the Washington Football Team.

St-Juste became the second Gopher taken in the 2021 draft, as Rashod Bateman was selected late in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens. He follows in the footsteps of former teammates Antoine Winfield, Jr. and Chris Williamson as Gophers defensive backs to be selected recently in the draft. This is the second consecutive year the Gophers’ program has had multiple players drafted in one draft and the third consecutive year at least one Gopher was drafted.

Listed as 6-foot-3, 205 lbs during his time at Minnesota, St-Juste has good size at defensive back, which could bode in his favor. In the pre-draft process, draft experts and evaluators thought St-Juste could play multiple positions in the secondary for whichever team selected him.

St-Juste finished 2019 with 45 tackles, 36 of them being solo, and tied for the team lead with 10 pass breakups. Like Bateman, 2020 was less productive, as he missed the Iowa and Purdue games and finished with only 14 tackles and three pass breakups.

Gophers star receiver Rashod Bateman heard his name called Thursday night in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, being selected 27th overall by the Baltimore Ravens.

After a successful 2019 campaign, Bateman was projected to be a surefire first-round draft choice. He finished his sophomore year with 60 receptions for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns and added memorable and explosive plays throughout the season against South Dakota State University, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Wisconsin.

But because of an unusual and less productive 2020 season along with questions about Bateman’s speed, draft evaluators and experts were no longer certain the 2019 Big Ten Receiver of the Year was worthy of a first-round grade. Bateman started the 2020 season by opting out due to health concerns amid the pandemic. Once the Big Ten made plans to restart the season in October with more protocols in place, he decided to come back for his junior season.

In the shortened season, Bateman only played in five of the team’s seven games and decided to end his Minnesota career once the Gophers had COVID-19 spread through the program. Once the draft evaluation process heated up, experts wondered about Bateman’s speed until he ran a 4.39 at the Gophers Pro Day in March. Ultimately, his 2019 performance proved more important than 2020, and Bateman landed in a spot desperate for a receiver.

Missing out on wide receivers in free agency, Baltimore had been listed as a team that needed to add playmakers at the position through the draft. Bateman will now be expected to be one of the top options for 2019-20 league MVP Lamar Jackson.

Bateman is the first Gopher to be drafted in the first round since 2006 when the New England Patriots selected running back Laurence Maroney. Following in the steps of Eric Decker and his friend and former teammate Tyler Johnson, Bateman is the third Gophers’ receiver to be drafted since 2010.

With the NFL draft set to take place in Cleveland, Ohio, from April 29 through May 1, the Minnesota Daily spoke with Daniel House to preview Gophers prospects Rashod Bateman and Benjamin St-Juste. Bateman and St-Juste are the only players from the Gophers football team expected to be drafted this season, House said.

House is the founder of GophersGuru, a subscription-based website covering Gophers football and other University sports, as well as Vikings Corner, a blog about the Minnesota Vikings. Parts of the conversation with House have been edited for clarity.

What are some of the skills Bateman has as a receiver that will make him successful in the NFL?

Bateman knows how to get open and is a great separator. When I’m analyzing pass catchers, I want to see a player who can run routes at an extremely high level. He’s learned how to run routes from wide receivers coach Matt Simon and head coach P.J. Fleck, two guys that have consistently shown they can take wide receivers to the next level. I value his separation and his athleticism.

The 2019 season is where you saw the whole package with Bateman. He ran a diverse route tree and that’s what NFL teams are looking for: Players who can run routes at a high level, have great body control, can make adjustments in traffic and high point the football along with making plays after the catch. He has all the skills teams are looking for in a receiver.

How would Bateman’s draft value be different had he decided to sit out all of the 2020 season?

I don’t think it would have changed much just because the wide receiver class that’s coming out this year is so deep. You look at all the options that are available for teams and it feels like every year we say, “This wide receiver class is better than the last one.” Bateman could be taken in the late first round based on 2019. Teams are taking the 2020 film with a grain of salt because they are facing the challenge of deciding how much to weigh 2020 and COVID-19 when evaluating players.

How did Bateman influence his value at the recent Pro Day?

His Pro Day was the thing that probably took his draft stock to another level. Teams wanted to see what time he’d record in a 40-yard dash, and his time of 4.39 seconds was very good. Before the draft process even started, one person in the NFL asked me if Bateman could run faster than 4.5 seconds because he will definitely get teams’ attention if he can. Rashod has definitely helped himself based on what he’s done in the pre-draft process and what he did in 2019 on the field.

Who are some teams that could be good fits for Bateman?

I see him as a player who could be picked later in the first round. One team to keep an eye on is the Green Bay Packers. General manager Brian Gutekunst was at the Pro Day and as a secondary fit to Davante Adams, that fit makes a lot of sense. If Bateman is paired up with a really good receiver in the NFL, it’s going to pose tough matchups for opposing coordinators. Other teams that are looking for receiver help and could take Bateman later in the draft are the Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens and a deep sleeper could be the Minnesota Vikings if they find another way to address the offensive line.

Moving to St-Juste, how does his size as a 6-foot-3-inch defensive back help an NFL team?

St-Juste’s size with his height and wingspan is really important for the versatility of his game. A team can use him in a variety of different schemes and positions depending on what they are looking for. But it’s not only his size that impressed me, but also the agility metrics. St-Juste ran a good shuttle and has the ability to break on the ball and then use his length to get into passing lanes.

Ball production is one of the things that people will be concerned about. During his time at Minnesota, St-Juste had 10 pass breakups but never had an interception. But with the agility metrics and his size, I think teams are going to fall in love with what he brings to the table.

What round do you see St-Juste getting drafted?

He could be a Day 2 pick, I would say the third round would be the sweet spot at this point. He played cornerback throughout college, but I think he also has the versatility to play safety, which would increase his value. There will be a team, in my opinion, that likes the skill set, the upside and the versatility and might take him earlier than maybe originally expected. I see him going before the fourth round.

The No. 3 seeded Gophers volleyball team came out with a three-set victory Thursday night against Georgia Tech in the team’s first match of the NCAA tournament.

Despite sweeping the Yellow Jackets, Minnesota was dealt with competitive sets to open the tournament, winning 25-19, 25-21 and 25-18. Nevertheless, the Gophers found a groove offensively as the match continued and were able to advance to its sixth consecutive Regional semifinals appearance.

The Gophers were led by outside hitters Adanna Rollins and Taylor Landfair out of the gates, who each recorded four kills in the first set. Georgia Tech was able to get into a rhythm early in the set to apply the pressure on Minnesota, but Minnesota went on a run after a couple of blocks in a row by the Gophers.

Despite being Minnesota’s primary offensive option throughout the whole season, Big Ten Player of the Year Stephanie Samedy did not get her first kills until two of the final four points to close out the set.

Led by Mariana Brambilla, the Yellow Jackets came out with a strong second set to force a back-and-forth battle with the Gophers. Brambilla was the leader of the match in kills with 16 and caused problems for the Gophers throughout each set.

“We knew Georgia Tech was going to be a really good team,” Rollins said. “Our motto was the other team is trying to take something away from us, so we’re thinking that each point. That really helped us in the long run.”

But the Gophers’ trio of hitters also came out swinging and got into a groove as the match waned, as Samedy and Rollins finished with 13 kills apiece while Landfair added 11 in her first NCAA tournament match. The final set began again as another close fight between Minnesota and Georgia Tech, but the Gophers hitting came alive and closed out the match on a 6-0 run, as Rollins terminated four of the final points.

“I thought [Rollins] was really good and steady in all phases of the game, but particularly strong on offense. She hit with a lot of good range, both in system and out of system,” Gophers head coach Hugh McCutcheon said.

Another player for the Gophers who appeared unphased by her tournament debut was setter Melani Shaffmaster. In her fifth match back from injury, Shaffmaster dished out 32 assists and led the match with 16 digs along with a few tricky kills to give Minnesota key points in the match.

“It was a really good start in her first NCAA tournament. The team hit for a good number and she made really good choices, kept hitters in rhythm a lot and did a nice job,” McCutcheon said.

Making it to this point is just scratching the surface of what the Gophers want to achieve this season, but given the odd circumstances of this season and this year’s tournament, McCutcheon is impressed with the squad’s resiliency throughout the year.

“I’m just really proud of how the team is managing the [different year]. There’s been nothing typical about this year. We reported in August and here we are still, playing some really good volleyball at a time where we need to,” McCutcheon said.

Minnesota’s run at another Final Four and potentially its first national championship will continue on Sunday against the winner between Pittsburgh and Utah in the Regional semifinal round of the tournament. Utah came into the tournament as the No. 14 seed in the field, while Pittsburgh was one of the 32 unseeded teams in the field, having advanced past the first round by sweeping LIU.

Eleven weeks after the start of an unusual 2021 season, the Minnesota volleyball team closed out the regular season with two dominant wins over Iowa.

The wins over the Hawkeyes solidify the Gophers’ spot at second in the conference, at 15-2 behind Wisconsin. The matches Friday and Saturday were the No. 3 Gophers’ last opportunity to take the court before leaving for Omaha, Nebraska, for the NCAA Tournament. Selection for the tournament takes place Sunday, and Minnesota has a chance to be one of the tournament’s top seeds given its top-three ranking.

Gophers roll in three Friday, win 25-22, 25-11 and 25-19

Led by a balanced attack, Minnesota would not be stopped by Iowa Friday night. The Gophers had little trouble killing the ball in match one, as the team finished with a season-high .448 hitting percentage. Stephanie Samedy led the team in kills with 13, but three other Gophers — Taylor Landfair, Adanna Rollins and Regan Pittman — finished the match with double-digit kills. Melani Shaffmaster had team highs in assists and digs, with 35 and nine respectively.

In set one, the Gophers saw an 18-8 lead eventually evaporate as the Hawkeyes quickly cut it down. Iowa went on another run to pull within two, but the effort was too late as Minnesota was already at match point and had a set-sealing kill from Rollins.

Gophers sweep 25-18, 25-14 and 25-16 Saturday

The second match was much of the same for Minnesota as the team took care of business again in straight sets. Iowa was able to hang around early in each set, but Minnesota continued to make a run in each to secure the final victory of the regular season.

Rollins recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs, while Samedy added a match-high 14 kills. Pittman contributed all over the court as she finished with six kills, four digs, three aces and two blocks.

The Gophers’ defense flexed its muscle early in the match, holding the Hawkeyes to a .065 hitting percentage in the first set. Jenna Wenaas played well in the back row, adding 10 digs to Minnesota’s match total without C.C. McGraw in the lineup.

Minnesota has a 5-1 record on the season without McGraw in the lineup, but her absence could prove critical as the regular season comes to a close and single-elimination matches begin.

With the final match wrapped up, the Gophers will now await their fate for who and when they will play in the NCAA Tournament. Instead of the typical 64 teams, only 48 will be a part of the tournament this season. The Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee will select 16 of those teams to receive at-large bids while the remaining teams have already automatically qualified for the tournament. The competition for the championship will begin April 14.

In one of its most highly anticipated conference matches of the regular season Sunday night, the Minnesota volleyball team suffered its second loss of the season in a four-set match: 14-25, 25-22, 15-25 and 23-25 against border rival and top-ranked Wisconsin.

The Gophers were without key cogs in the starting lineup as setter Melani Shaffmaster and libero C.C. McGraw both missed Sunday’s match due to injury. Injuries were a known issue for Minnesota after Thursday’s match against the Badgers was postponed.

Without Shaffmaster and McGraw, Minnesota appeared discombobulated early in the match. Defensively, the Gophers had troubles handling the Badgers’ serves and offensively, they could not get the ball to their dynamic hitting trio of Stephanie Samedy, Adanna Rollins and Taylor Landfair.

“We were just passive in the first set but once we knew who the scorers were, we just kept telling ourselves to keep fighting in the match,” Rollins said.

After falling handily in the first set, Rachel Kilkelly shifted the momentum the Gophers’ way. The sophomore defensive specialist was diving all over the court and strung together three aces in a row, firing up the rest of the Minnesota roster.

The energy was short-lived, however, as the Badgers came out firing on all cylinders again in the third set, recording a .444 hitting percentage while holding Minnesota below .200. With their backs against the wall in the fourth set, the Gophers would not go down without a fight. But ultimately, Wisconsin was too much to handle.

Landfair led the Gophers with 15 kills while Rollins added nine, but Samedy struggled to get into a rhythm offensively. Averaging more than four kills per set, Samedy – the Gophers’ leader in kills – finished with only seven.

“[Wisconsin] sent a lot of blockers her way, which freed up other areas of the court for us,” said Gophers head coach Hugh McCutcheon. “I’m sure Stephanie would be upset with her performance and it doesn’t live up to her standards, but it definitely wasn’t because of her effort level.”

At this time it is unclear how long Shaffmaster and McGraw will be out of the lineup. McGraw was out due to a lower-body injury and had a brace on her leg. Shaffmaster missed the match with an upper-body injury.

In the meantime, the Gophers will look for others on the roster to step up. Bayley McMenimen and Hunter Atherton split time at setter. It was McMenimen’s first start this year and Atherton’s first time seeing game action this season. Kilkelly began the match as the Gophers’ libero, but McCutcheon made a switch midway through the match with freshman outside hitter Jenna Wenaas taking over at the position. When asked how the Gophers need to adapt moving forward, McCutcheon kept it simple.

“[We have to] get to work. There’s a lot of things we can learn from tonight if this team wants to reach its hopes and dreams,” McCutcheon said.

With the loss, Minnesota’s chances of securing a Big Ten title took a significant hit. The Gophers are scheduled to play four more matches and will travel to Evanston, Illinois, next weekend to take on Northwestern.

Before starting the 2021 season, Gophers volleyball head coach Hugh McCutcheon couldn’t describe what coaching during the pandemic is like.

At this point, Minnesota had not played any matches and only practiced in the fall. McCutcheon did not want to project how he and his team would handle the challenges of playing this season until they had to face them.

Other than three consecutive weeks of play against ranked opponents Purdue, Penn State and Nebraska, the Gophers did not appear to have any major issues due to COVID-19 in their first 10 matches of the season. Things were looking up, as Minnesota had not missed a match, had a 9-1 record and the AVCA Coaches Poll ranked the team in the top-five.

From that point, however, McCutcheon has come to better understand the oddness and frustration that comes with playing this season, as COVID-19 has reared its ugly head. In the last 26 days, Minnesota has only played two of its seven scheduled matches, while health and safety concerns for the Gophers or their opponents postponed the other five. The most recent postponement came this week when the Gophers were set to take on Wisconsin.

“It’s a weird time, and this is just another manifestation of just how clunky [playing a season in a pandemic] is. Everyone’s trying to do the best they can. As much we want to compete, you have to respect what the medical professionals tell you,” McCutcheon said.

Minnesota’s medical team advised Thursday’s match be postponed for two main reasons: ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and injuries. While the Gophers had no new COVID-19 cases, some players were still in the COVID protocol and unable to compete. Pair that with players who had sustained injuries, and the Gophers would have had to play with a condensed roster with some players in different positions.

“If someone got hurt [Thursday], I’m not sure we would have been able to make substitutions. [The roster] was pretty lean,” McCutcheon said.

Thursday’s matchup against the top-ranked Badgers was supposed to entail major implications regarding the Big Ten regular-season championship. The fourth-ranked Gophers would have had the chance to knock Wisconsin from its spot atop the conference at 10-0, while the Badgers would have been able to significantly increase their odds of a second consecutive conference championship with a win.

McCutcheon said the team was disappointed with the news of another postponement but acknowledged this was something the players were prepared for coming into 2021.

“It’s frustrating and atypical. We discussed at the beginning of the year that this wasn’t going to be linear, so this is just another bump in the road,” McCutcheon said. “The group was disappointed, but they understand and appreciate the concern for their safety and wellbeing. We’re in a pandemic, and we’re trying to manage a lot of variables.”

At the time of this article’s publication, Sunday’s match against Wisconsin at Maturi Pavilion is still on as scheduled. The Gophers are interested in playing any of their postponed matches if an opportunity arises; While nothing has been set in stone, McCutcheon said making up the match against the Badgers could be possible based on the distance between the schools.

Minnesota’s Bethany Hasz won the individual title at the Big Ten championship meet for cross country a month ago, but the road to the championship was no easy feat.

As a senior in high school in 2016, Hasz and her twin sister, Megan Hasz, were set to come to Minnesota. Natives of Alexandria, Minnesota, it was the only visit the two made. After meeting head coach Sarah Hopkins and witnessing the team’s culture, Bethany knew she wanted to train with the Maroon and Gold.

Both sisters competed in cross country and track and field for the Gophers. In their freshman season, they were redshirted and ran unattached in track and field that spring but competed in cross country from the get-go. In the fall of 2016, Bethany finished 20th at the Big Ten championships.

After three seasons of watching Bethany and Megan compete, time forced Hopkins to make a decision: either let the sisters compete in one final season or redshirt them in cross country and let them train for the upcoming track season with hopes of stacking the deck for the 2020 cross country season.

Hopkins weighed the options with them both, and Bethany and Megan ultimately did not compete in the 2019 season with no knowledge of what was to come the following season. COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the 2020 cross country season in the fall.

“We were able to get in a really solid fall training and have a good track season following that,” Bethany said. “It was tough sitting out last year just watching our team compete and wanting to be with them and travel with them and then having the fall season canceled was pretty disappointing.”

“The uncertainty of [the season] was really stressful,” Hopkins added. “Obviously, we had second thoughts about whether we should have just raced them in 2019 because we would have had a pretty darn good team in the fall last year too. As things played out you have to let go of some of that stuff and say, ‘Nobody saw this coming.’ There’s lots of weird things that can happen over time.”

Luckily for the Gophers, the cross country season did start in the winter with the Big Ten championships at the end of January. However, as they balance training for cross country with track and field, Bethany and the team were forced to adjust in an unusual situation.

Minnesota fell just short of its team goal to win the conference title in cross country, but Bethany finished at the top of the leaderboard, only the second Big Ten title winner in program history on the women’s side. While the accomplishment is individual on the surface, Hopkins knows Bethany has put in the time and effort not only for her own success but also for the team’s success.

“She’s definitely a lead-by-example type. She does well at these meets not only for her but because she knows her team is relying on her to do well. It is a lot of team first for her,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins added that Bethany’s success is always beneficial for recruiting runners to the program after she is gone. In the meantime, Hopkins will continue coaching Bethany, as both the Hasz sisters have already committed to returning to Minnesota next season, using this season as a free year of eligibility.

“She’s super easy to coach, and that’s fun because she’s a very low-maintenance, low-ego, high-output kind of a kid,” Hopkins said. “She trusts what we do. She trusts that it’s going to get her where she wants to be, and she doesn’t spend a whole lot of time worrying about [training].”

Death, taxes and a win by the Gophers volleyball team: After starting out the season 9-0, these appear to be the only certainties in 2021. Coming into Lincoln, Nebraska, as the fifth-ranked team in the country, Minnesota took down the fourth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers in four sets 25-15, 20-25, 26-24 and 25-23.

The win was by no means easy, however, and brought out visible emotions of excitement from head coach Hugh McCutcheon.

“Obviously you’re relieved. The reality of Big Ten competition – especially the way our schedule has played out is that every weekend we’re in the belly of the beast,” McCutcheon said.

It was challenging for Minnesota to be successful in multiple areas against its conference foe, but a key difference in the match was the team’s play at the net led by middle blocker Regan Pittman. Minnesota’s blocking was relatively quiet in previous matches but the team finished with a season-high 20 blocks. Pittman finished with a career-high 14.

“It was great that we were so good in that phase of the game because we were clearly struggling in others,” McCutcheon said. “For our team especially to be able to win on block and defense that’s not really something we’ve done all season.”

Outside hitter Stephanie Samedy shined once again for the Gophers, finishing with a match-high 27 kills. It was the third time in four matches the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week finished with 20 or more kills.

“She was steady again. Night after night, she’s able to work through the ebbs and flows of the match and still find ways to help us win,” McCutcheon said of Samedy. “Offensively, she was good again but [also] good at the net and some nice serving strings as well.”

Minnesota came out strong and did not take its foot off the pedal in the first set. Difficult digs in from defensive specialists Rachel Kilkelly and C.C. McGraw held Nebraska to a .056 hitting percentage and its lowest point total in a set on the season. McGraw and Kilkelly finished with 17 and nine digs respectively.

The Gophers brought the momentum into the second set, pulling ahead off the serve of McGraw with an early 8-2 lead. But Nebraska would not go away quietly as middle blocker Lauren Stivrins heated up with six kills in the set.

Minnesota again jumped out quickly in the third set only to see that lead slip away. Serves by McGraw got the Cornhuskers out of system and kills by Samedy helped the Gophers close out the set. And after closing out the third set, Pittman and Samedy would not let the Gophers lose in the fourth.

Minnesota will have Saturday off and will play Nebraska again on Sunday afternoon.

With COVID-19 delaying the Big Ten volleyball season, it took a little longer than expected to see what setter Melani Shaffmaster could do on the court for the Gophers volleyball team.

Now that the season is underway, Gophers fans finally get to see the freshman in action. Shaffmaster is one player who adds to the depth of successful players on Minnesota’s team. Along with Taylor Landfair and Jenna Wenaas, she is a part of the country’s top-ranked recruiting class. Paired with an experienced roster that made the Final Four in 2019, it appears Shaffmaster and the Gophers will have a successful 2021 season.

After winning the Indiana state championship three times and being named the Gatorade Player of the Year twice in Indiana, Shaffmaster enrolled early at Minnesota in January of 2020. She trained with the Gophers for a little more than a month before the pandemic shut down team activities. Then, Shaffmaster said it was challenging to do much training on her own as a player whose specialty is setting up her teammates to score. But she did not let the delayed start to her collegiate career discourage her and took the experience as a positive when the team regrouped.

“I’m upset we didn’t get to play in the fall, but I was a little happy we got a couple more months of training to get used to playing volleyball here,” Shaffmaster said. “Getting to set these hitters as much as you can before you actually start playing really helped me, and playing against each other in practice is super intense.”

Two weeks into the season, it appears she is prepared for the high-level competition this season has to offer. Shaffmaster admitted she still gets nervous before matches, but her play in the opening weekend against Michigan State earned her Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. Playing in every set thus far, Shaffmaster leads the team with 99 assists and has added 31 digs on the defensive side.

What ultimately drew Shaffmaster from high school and club volleyball in Indiana to collegiate volleyball in the Twin Cities was Hugh McCutcheon and the Gophers coaching staff’s culture. After learning under McCutcheon and being around the team for a year, she is excited about her future at Minnesota.

“They are just really good at teaching. It’s a really strong learning environment and is a huge process of people learning and getting better,” Shaffmaster said of the coaching staff. “I’ve been really open to learning and completely changing the way I play volleyball and doing what they need me to do to be the best setter.”

In the meantime, Shaffmaster said she wants to ease her nerves as the season goes on and create more energy as the Gophers play in empty pavilions due to COVID-19. She will play her first collegiate game in her home state as Minnesota is back in action against Purdue on Friday and Saturday.