The Badgers have landed their 11th transfer of the portal period, securing a commitment from a former four-star cornerback on Monday.
According to Evan Flood and On3 Sports, Florida State cornerback Cai Bates has committed to Wisconsin. The 6-foot-2 defensive back will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Badgers add four-star recruit looking for a fresh start
Bates is a former four-star recruit, and was the No. 14 corner in the 2024 class. He was also a top-100 player and the fourth-highest rated recruit for the Seminoles that year. He had offers from nearly every top team in the country including Alabama, Ohio State, LSU and more. He'll now head to Wisconsin looking for a better fit.
While Bates came in as a highly-rated recruit, he never found his footing with Florida State. Despite season-ending injuries to defensive backs Ja'Bril Rawls and Quindarrius Jones, Bates hardly played, totaling just 26 defensive snaps on the season. The hire of defensive coordinator Tony White, who did not recruit Bates, only furthered his struggles to get on the field. Still, he has plenty of talent, and may find the scheme fit at Wisconsin to be a little better for his man coverage skills.
Wisconsin now has two cornerback commitments from the portal with Eric Fletcher and now Bates. Luke Fickell and company have been off to a blistering fast start, landing nearly a dozen players in the first few days. Look for Wisconsin to add yet another cornerback or two, however, after losing Ricardo Hallman, D'Yoni Hill and Geimere Latimer.