2012: Fifth-year senior ... Contributed as a reserve safety and on special teams ... One tackle and one QB hurry at Syracuse ... One stop vs. Vanderbilt ... Three tackles vs. Boston College as well as an 11-yard punt return ... Recorded a 6-yard punt return vs. South Dakota ... Missed the final eight games of the year due to injury, including the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl vs. Mississippi State in his hometown of Jacksonville.
2011: Played in all 13 games on special teams and as a reserve safety ... Returned to action against Boston College after sitting out the spring with the broken leg he suffered in the 2011 TicketCity Bowl ... Totaled two tackles and a QB hurry vs. Eastern Illinois ... Had four tackles at Illinois ... One tackle vs. Michigan, Indiana, Rice and Michigan State.
2010: Reserve safety and punt returner ... Played in all 13 games with three starts ... 45 total tackles ... Averaged 5.7 yards per punt return (nine returns for 51 yards) ... Tied a career best with 11 stops in the TicketCity Bowl (vs. Texas Tech) before suffering a broken leg ... Closed regular season with three tackles each against Illinois and Wisconsin ... Three tackles and one pass breakup vs. Iowa ... At Penn State, forced a fumble on an 18-yard pass sack and finished with two tackles on his way to being named NU's Defensive Big Playmaker for the game ... Intercepted his second pass of the season at Indiana and returned it 13 yards ... Also had three tackles vs. the Hoosiers ... Two tackles, one pass breakup and one punt return for 14 yards vs. Michigan State ... Three punt returns for 4 yards vs. Purdue ... One stop at Minnesota ... Led team with a career-best 11 tackles (10 solo) and had one TFL against Central Michigan ... Recorded his first career interception and returned two punts at Rice, including one for 33 yards that was a career best and the longest by a Wildcat since 2008 ... Two punt returns for seven yards and two tackles vs. Illinois State ... Returned one punt and had one tackle at Vanderbilt.
2009: Reserve safety ... Recovered a key onside kick attempt at Illinois -- a spectacular play -- to help NU secure the win ... Named NU's special teams player of the week against the Illini ... One special teams stop against Indiana ... One tackle each vs. Towson, Eastern Michigan and Purdue ... Returned two punts for 10 yards at Michigan State ... Named team's defensive practice player of the week vs. Purdue.
2008: Did not see action ... Named the team's defensive practice player of the week (vs. Michigan State) and the team's special teams practice player of the week (vs. Syracuse).
High School: PrepStar All-Southeast Region defensive back ... Ranked 75th-best safety nationally by ESPN/Scouts, Inc. ... First-team all-state Class 4A selection ... First-team All-St. Johns River Conference and first-team All-First Coast honoree ... Also an outstanding punt returner ... Helped lead the Panthers to a three-year record (2005-07) of 40-5, which included a state championship his sophomore season ... Nease went 13-2 in 2005, and then 14-1 in '06 and 13-2 in '07 ... Played two years (2004-05) with quarterback Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Florida ... Team finished as the 4A state runners-up in 2006 and '07 ... Totaled 135 tackles, four interceptions and four punt returns for touchdowns ... Team captain ... Lettered four years as a safety ... Also played and lettered three years of lacrosse (middie) for Nease ... Coached by Craig Howard.
Personal: Born Hunter James Bates ... Son of Bill and Denise Bates ... Father, Bill, played football at Tennessee before going on to an illustrious 15-year career as a safety with the Dallas Cowboys ... Is a triplet, with a brother, Graham, who plays football at Arkansas State, and a sister, Brianna ... Sociology major.