PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Coming out of high school, not only was Gavin Bartholomew a tight end, he was a defensive end, punter and his senior year was the quarterback. Now the four-year Panther is a Minnesota Viking, taken in the sixth round on Saturday.
He will join former teammate Jordan Addison and former Pitt tackle Brian O’Neill.
Honorable Mention All-ACC last season, Bartholomew, much like the Pitt offense in general, experienced spurts of explosion. The 6’5”, 250-pounder had 38 receptions for 322 yards last year with three touchdowns. He averaged 18.1 yards per catch as a junior in 10 games, as a sophomore 21 receptions for 283 yards and as a freshman, 28 receptions for 326 yards and four TD and second team Freshman All-American. His highlight was likely his 57-yard catch where he hurdled a Tennessee defensive player on his way to the end zone in 2022. He also had a 29-yard TD reception against Georgia Tech and a 60-yard TD catch against Cincinnati in 2023.
He’s excited to begin something he dreamed about his whole life. Bartholomew said he’s a hard-worker who will play through the whistle and has become a dominant run-blocker, something he’s proud of.
“I feel like I’ve developed as a man and the play on the field,” Bartholomew said. “I’ve had a bunch of great veterans that surrounded me, Kenny (Pickett), Lucas (Krull) helped me become the man I am today. I had a ton of great coaches that helped me get to where I am.”