Wisconsin’s cornerback room took a hit before conference play even got rolling.
Cai Bates, the transfer from Florida State who arrived in Madison this winter, announced on Instagram that he tore his ACL. In his post, Bates wrote, "As soon as I started to truly have fun again, feeling like myself again, faced with another challenge. Torn ACL Week 2," and added, "Always been strong minded, I'll be back stronger and better and have a story to tell."
For the Badgers, it’s a brutal setback for a player who had been trending in the right direction. Bates spent two seasons in Tallahassee before coming to Wisconsin, and while his role through the first two weeks was limited, he looked positioned to become a bigger piece of the secondary as the season went on.
He logged just eight defensive snaps across Weeks 1 and 2 and was essentially the second outside cornerback off the bench behind Eric Fletcher Jr. Even with that modest workload, Bates had already made enough of an impression to stand out in camp. The 6-foot-3 corner has the length, speed and frame Wisconsin wanted, and he showed enough growth over the offseason to earn praise from new cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples.
“When you think spring ball to fall camp, I think the biggest jump is probably Cai Bates," Steeples said in late August. "He’s playing to his size, he’s playing big corner football. I really liked seeing that from him."
Luke Fickell also hinted Bates’ usage was going to expand. At his Week 2 press conference before the home opener against Western Illinois, Fickell said, "Cai Bates didn't play as much, but will play a little bit more (with his) ability to roll into the boundary some."
That plan is now off the table. A torn ACL is almost always a season-ending injury, so Bates should not be expected back this fall.
The encouraging part for Wisconsin is that the defense has managed to get by without him as a regular part of the rotation. The tougher reality is that the depth at cornerback just got thinner, and that matters. The Badgers still have three corners who look like Power Four starters in Javan Robinson, Jai'mier Scott and Fletcher, but after that the next outside option is true freshman Donovan Dunmore.
Dunmore drew plenty of praise in fall camp and even scored Wisconsin’s final touchdown on the blocked field goal in the closing seconds against Eastern Michigan. But if the Badgers end up needing him to lean heavily on the outside, that would be a real concern.
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