MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Minnesota star wide receiver Rashod Bateman will pass on a 2020 college football season that has been complicated - and threatened - by the pandemic.

Bateman announced Tuesday he has opted out amid concerns about the coronavirus and will forgo his remaining two years of eligibility to enter the 2021 NFL draft. He is widely projected to be a first-round pick. He posted a professionally created video on his Twitter account that he narrated in explanation of his decision, which the university confirmed.

"I'm now making the hardest decision that I've ever had to make in my life," Bateman said. "Minnesota, you have my heart forever. Moving from a small town to a big city, I was very nervous. You all have accepted me with open arms and have helped me find myself."