4-star CB Cai Bates commits to Florida State: 'They look at me as more than a football player'

Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater four-star defensive back Cai Bates backed off his commitment to LSU earlier this month, and two teams jumped to the head of the pack: Tennessee and Florida State.

Both programs were relentless in their pursuit of him, even after he’d committed to the Tigers. Over the past two and a half weeks since his decommitment, he went back and forth between the two programs. Ultimately though, the No. 16 recruit in the Sunshine State is staying home, announcing that he is committed to the Seminoles on Thursday.

“Definitely being in my home state and playing for a competitive team that’s always gonna compete for the College Football Playoff,” he told On3 of why he chose the ‘Noles. “And just knowing that I’m gonna be around genuine people and people that I’m actually very familiar with who really care for me as a person and not just a football player.”

Bates has connections up and down the roster and coaching staff in Tallahassee. He is friends with multiple current players and has a strong bond with defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain and Director of Player Relations Keiwan Ratliff. Those relationships led him to stay home.

“Coach Pat Surtain, his son is one of the best DBs in the league right now,” he said. “Coach Keiwan Ratliff, he played at Florida but he’s at Florida State now and he had the whole Rat Pak 7v7 from when we were in Little League. Him being at FSU now is another person that I can use as a resource and another person I have a really strong connection with outside of football.”

Bates wants to be part of what Mike Norvell is building in Tallahassee

Bates has been on campus a lot at FSU, including multiple visits this fall. He loves the success that the Seminoles are having this year, but his excitement about being part of the program goes beyond that.

He has connected with Norvell on a different level and feels like he is someone who cares about him outside the lines as well.

“Coach Norvell definitely reminds me of my high school head coach,” he said. “They have the same morals and same principles. And one of the biggest things that stuck out to me with Coach Norvell, he always tells me straight up: ‘If you’re coming here to just play football, I don’t want you here.’ They look at me more than a football player. They care about my future and where I’m gonna be after the ball goes flat.”

Bates also sees the defensive backs class FSU is building with him, KJ Bolden, Charles Lester III, Jamari Howard, and Ricky Knight as one of, if not the nation’s best. He’s eager to compete with and against elite players in Tallahassee and develop alongside them.

“I’m definitely going into something elite,” he added. “And if you wanna be elite, you have to be joined by elite people and elite groups. It’s in my home state and we’re on the way to being a powerhouse right now. Being able to add and be one of the pieces to add to that in my home state is something great for me.”