BIG YEAR FOR NORVELL
Florida State is now fourteen Saturdays away from taking on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the friendly confines of Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, August 30th at 3:30 PM EST on ABC.
As you saw this week, we will approach the game before you know it. We will wake up and think randomly in November (obviously, the Seminoles are thick in the College Football Playoff hunt), where the season has progressed at such a rapid pace.
This is a monumental year for head football coach Mike Norvell and this squad. I am cautiously optimistic about the Seminoles' success in 2025. Primarily because I believe this team has a wealth of talent.
DB GROUP IS FULL OF TALENT
One of the position groups that I think is loaded with talent is defensive back. Defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain Sr. has done a great job with recruiting and developing his guys. The Seminoles have now added safeties coach Evan Cooper to the coaching staff this offseason.
This dynamic duo of coaches should unlock the potential ceiling of the room this season. One of the better recruiting classes Surtain Sr. had was his first one, where he secured four defensive backs in the 2024 cycle in Charles Lester III, Jamari Howard, Ricky Knight III, and Cai Bates.
Fans talk about Lester III a ton. This is partially because he was a fringe five-star prospect, and they had to battle Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes.
CAI BATES IS THE REAL DEAL
However, a player like redshirt freshman Cai Bates could be just scratching the surface with his play in the Garnet and Gold. Ironically enough, the Orlando native wears the No. 14 jersey number, which corresponds to the number of Saturdays that we have left before the season begins.
Bates played in three games during the 2024 season (SMU, Notre Dame, and Charleston Southern) before the coaching staff redshirted him. There was no sense in burning his redshirt year in the nonsense that was last season.
The Seminoles added Houston cornerback transfer Jeremiah Wilson this offseason, who will likely be one of the starters at defensive back. However, other than him, there are younger options on the roster that haven't started a contest either. Bates should have the opportunity to prove himself this summer and during fall camp.