With 55 catches, more than 700 receiving yards, and 17 total touchdowns his senior season, Peabody’s Eli Batista is ready for the next stage of his life as he committed to Bentley University last week.
He made the announcement via X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Bentley has been recruiting since the fall when I went on a visit over there. I met with the coach (Saj Thakkar) and he was really cool to talk to and just gave me advice on the recruiting process as a whole,” Batista said. “I love the campus and I have a lot of friends who go there as well.”
In addition to its campus and familiar faces, it was the school’s education that really stood out to Batista.
“I want to major in business and they have one of the best business programs in the country, so why not learn there?” Batista said. “People keep telling me how great of a school it is and how great the football program is. The football team is like a family and when I visited, I got the same feeling – even though I wasn’t even on the team yet.”
On the turf, Batista knows it’s a step up in competition, but is prepared.
“I need to start eating more meals throughout the day to put on some weight and get stronger,” he said. “I know I need to try and get faster and more explosive as well. I’ll continue to work on my route running, too.”
Batista is set to play slot receiver, but will also be returning kicks when he gets to Waltham. Of the 17 touchdowns Batista scored this past fall, two were off punt returns.
“I love returning kicks. I feel like I can show off my speed and make people miss. I know once I get an opportunity and get the ball in my hands, I know I can make plays,” Batista said. “I hope I get the opportunity to do that as a freshman so I can show everyone I’m good enough to make an impact.”
By the way, in his last game as a Tanner, Batista returned a 51-yard punt return to the house against Saugus on Thanksgiving Day.
“That was definitely one of my favorite moments,” he said.
When asked what he’s going to remember most about his time at Peabody, Batista pointed to early-morning workouts.
“I’ll remember the summers when the team would get up at 6:30 a.m. and go to Peabody High School and work with a trainer, Doug Santos, to do field work and lifting,” Batista said. “I feel like that played a big role coming into the season because, I feel, that’s when we started to build the chemistry. Watching everyone get better day by day was great. I made them better and they made me better.”
Next summer, Batista will be lining up with new teammates and living away from home, but he’s excited – to say the least.
“I want to see what college football practices are like. I know it’s going to be tougher, but I know I’m going to be prepared,” he said. “I’m going to be playing a sport that I love every day, so even if the practices are hard, I think it’ll be pretty fun and I can’t wait until camp starts.”
As for what Falcons’ fans should know, let’s just say: don’t blink, or you might miss it.
“I’m a great leader who’s very fast and shifty. I have great hands and I’m explosive,” Batista said. “I pride myself on being a great teammate and being coachable.”
