Wisconsin Football Cornerback Suffers Torn ACL Ahead of Conference Play

The Badgers appear to have sustained their first season-ending injury in the 2026 campaign.

And while it's not to a quarterback, a situation Wisconsin knows all too well under head coach Luke Fickell, it's a promising young transfer on the defensive side of the ball who was trending upwards.

Cornerback Cai Bates, who transferred to the Badgers this winter after two seasons at Florida State, announced on his instagram that he tore his ACL.

"As soon as I started to truly have fun again, feeling like myself again, faced with another challenge. Torn ACL Week 2," his post reads. "Always been strong minded, I'll be back stronger and better and have a story to tell."

Wisconsin cornerback Cai Bates. | Christian Borman.

It's an extremely tough break for the Badgers cornerback. After two seasons in Tallahassee, Bates looked primed to come into his own in Madison. Though he only logged eight total snaps on defense through weeks one and two, and effectively served as Wisconsin's second outside cornerback off the bench behind Eric Fletcher Jr, Bates looked to be a key part of this secondary.

He was one of the more impressive defenders I witnessed live at fall camp. The 6-3, long, lanky and fast cornerback has no shortage of physical gifts, and Wisconsin's new cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples loved what he saw out of Bates this offseason, especially in terms of his overall development.

“When you think spring ball to fall camp, I think the biggest jump is probably Cai Bates," he said in late August. "He’s playing to his size, he’s playing big corner football. I really liked seeing that from him."

What's more, the Badgers were planning on getting Bates more involved as the season wore on. During his Week 2 press conference ahead of the home opener against Western Illinois, Fickell addressed Bates (who played just two snaps against Notre Dame) when evaluating his cornerbacks.

"Cai Bates didn't play as much, but will play a little bit more (with his) ability to roll into the boundary some," he said.

The impact of Bates' torn ACL

Wisconsin CBs Donvan Dunmore (18) and Cai Bates (3). | Christian Borman.

A torn ACL is pretty universally a season-ending injury; we shouldn't expect to see Bates again this fall.

The good news for Wisconsin is that it was doing alright without Bates being a consistent member of the rotation. The bad news is that its depth at cornerback, which was considered significantly improved this offseason, just took a serious blow.

The Badgers still have three cornerbacks who you feel are Power Four-level starters in Javan Robinson, Jai'mier Scott and Fletcher. But past those three, the top backup at outside cornerback is now true freshman Donovan Dunmore.

Dunmore garnered a lot of praise in fall camp, and he scored the Badgers' final touchdown on the blocked field goal in the closing seconds against Eastern Michigan. Still, if it came to Wisconsin relying on Dunmore on the outside, that would certainly be cause for concern.

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