Top target emerges at CB for LSU
The LSU football staff is scouring the country for cornerbacks to add to the 2024 recruiting class, and a top target has emerged.
LSU cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples made his way to Orlando (Fla.) this week to check in on four-star Cai Bates, who is high atop the wish list for the Tigers.
“They say I am No. 1 on the board,” Bates told On3 reporter Keith Niebuhr during an in-person interview on Thursday. “It definitely made me feel like a priority. They have a great relationship with my parents and a great relationship with my coaches. They came to my practice (Tuesday), and talked with my coach a lot and spent time with him. Coach Steeples was here. He’s a great guy. I have a great relationship with him.”
Bates, who is ranked by the On3 Industry Rankings as a Top 20 cornerback and No. 179 overall prospect in the 2024 class, carries a 3.8 GPA and plans to enroll early after graduating from Edgewater High in December.
When it comes to LSU making the Sunshine State product a priority, one pitch is the chance at early playing time in Baton Rouge.
“Their message to be is, honestly, they need me and don’t just want me,” Bates said. “I could come in and get a lot of great reps as a freshman and definitely produce and play a lot as a true freshman.”
LSU Spring Game visit set the tone for Bates
Bates was in attendance for the LSU Spring Game in April, and the push made by Steeples and head coach Brian Kelly spoke volumes with the four-star prospect and his family.
“It was my favorite out of all the schools I’ve been to,” Bates told The Bengal Tiger. “I got a warming feeling and just felt genuine unlike any school that I’ve been at.
“Coach Steeples is a really good person to be around and I fell like I would excel under his coaching. I spent a good amount of time with Coach Kelly and just got a great feel for the school, even hung out with the team after the spring game.
“Coach Kelly has been recruiting me hard and has built a great relationship with my family. Making it known that I’m a priority for LSU. (Coach Kelly) spent a bunch of time with me, the whole day on Friday, and I was in the loop before the spring game with the team in meetings.”
Official visit to Baton Rouge locked in – and timetable set for a decision
Bates knows of one official visit so far: LSU.
The Tigers will be the first team to host the Top 20 cornerback prospect, and Bates will follow that up with another official visit two weeks later.
“I have two (dates) set,” he told On3. “LSU is June 2-4. Then I am not sure if it is Tennessee or Kentucky on June 16-18, but I am pretty sure it will be Tennessee.”
As for a commitment timeline, Bates said he plans to shut down his recruitment ahead of his senior year of high school this fall.
“I want to be committed before August 1,” he said. “Late-June or July. Definitely before my senior season.
“I didn’t make a Top 10 or anything like that, but there are a few schools standing out. LSU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Maryland, Alabama, Florida … a lot of schools, really.”
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