Four-star DB Cai Bates signed his national letter of intent to attend Florida State on Wednesday.

Bates is one of the best defensive back prospects in the state of Florida and is ranked the 10th best defensive back in the country according to Rivals. He is projected to join Ricky Knight, Charles Lester, Jamari Howard, and KJ Bolden in one of the best defensive back classes in the country and in Florida State history.

In his senior season, Bates totaled 23 tackles including one of them for loss. He also intercepted three passes and had nine passes defended, helping Edgewater (Fla.) to an 11-1 record and the Regional Semifinal of the 3M district playoffs.

Bates ends his career as a Fighting Eagle with 26 tackles, seven interceptions and 13 passes defended while also accumulating 621 receiving yards on 36 receptions with four touchdowns offensively.

Bates originally committed to LSU on July 26th but decommitted from the Tigers two days after taking an unofficial visit to Florida State during the Miami game. Bates then committed to the Seminoles on December 1st.

Bates took official visits to Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, Tennessee and Alabama but in the end, he chose the Seminoles.

Osceola Recruiting Analyst Charles Fishbein on Bates: "Bates was a big surprise. He showed FSU very little interest early on and committed to LSU. Once the season started and FSU played well, Bates took a visited and switched over to FSU. He is a very good athlete. Bates used to play on the offensive side of the football. He has size, length, athletic ability. You name it, Bates checks off a lot of boxes. He is another player we feel can make an early impact."

Osceola Recruiting Analyst Pat Burnham on Bates: "Not a ton of highlight tape on Bates but he is a good-looking prospect. He is listed at just over 6-1. He doesn't look that tall on tape, but he does have long arms. He runs well enough that he can play trail-technique and still catch up with wide receivers to contest catches. Bates does a good job of reading the quarterback in zone coverage and shows the ability to close on receivers quickly in those situations. He is aggressive and based off limited tape looks like a good tackler, you don't see him leave his feet or stop his feet before contact and will put his facemask in the ball carrier's chest."