Alex Khvatov:  What are your measurements (height, weight and forty time)?

Jackie Bates:  I am 5’10”, 183 and my fastest forty time was a 4.23.  I am consistently in the 4.3’s. 

Alex Khvatov:  You played at De La Salle high school in California that has produced some very talented players in the past, what is the atmosphere around that program?

Jackie Bates:  It was an honor.  It shaped the person that I am today.  I mean my mother and my father and my grandparents played a big part in it too.  I got a lot of my work ethic from playing at De La Salle.  I learned a lot from the coaches there.  They became father figures to me.  It is a brotherhood.  The things that I learned at De La Salle will stay with me forever.  I will be a part of their family forever.  One day I might end up coaching there.  All of the players that we have put in D-I.  The experience was a blessing.  I thank the lord for that.
 

Alex Khvatov:  Coming out of high school, what programs showed interest in you?

Jackie Bates:  Oregon, Cal, UCLA, Arizona State and all of the PAC-10 schools besides USC and Stanford.  I had a 2.8 GPA in high school, so I couldn’t go to Stanford.  USC didn’t show much interest.  Colorado was the only Big 12 school that showed interest.  The WAC schools, Colorado State and a lot of the MWC schools also expressed interest.  I received like 15 scholarship offers.
 

Alex Khvatov:  What made you choose Oregon?

Jackie Bates:  When I went to Eugene, Oregon I felt comfortable there.  I visited Oregon with Marshawn Lynch.  We have a really good time.  On a plane ride home, we were the only two passengers on the private plane.  I was picked up in a limo from my home.  Their cornerback situation was a mess at the time.  I felt that I could play early.  I put them over Cal which was my hometown team.  I felt that I could help them at corner.
 

Alex Khvatov:  You actually started as a freshman, what did it feel like to go up against some very talented PAC-10 wide receivers?

Jackie Bates:    It was a good feeling.  I just didn’t know how to play corner.  I played RB and safety in high school.  I was supposed to play cornerback during my senior year of high school, but I was hurt and didn’t play.  I was mainly relying on my natural instincts early on.  I got the chance to play my first game at Norman, Oklahoma as a freshman.  I went up against Clayton and Bradford, White and Peterson at Norman, Oklahoma.  That game showed me the work that I needed to put in as a freshman.  Although I made the Freshman All-American team that year, I had a long way to go.  I needed to do a lot more film study, more repetitions and more work in the weight room.  I needed to learn how to take better angles, anticipate routes.  I learned a lot and I am better now.  I am wiser and stronger physically and mentally.
 

Alex Khvatov:  Why did you decide to leave the Ducks?

Jackie Bates:  Okay, I am going to be straight forward.  I went to a party.  I got into an altercation with a guy who was drunk.  Personally, I don’t drink.  This guy was out of his mind.  He swung at me.  I defended myself and I hit him.  The police were called and they investigated.  Coach Bellotti was mad that I was at a party before we were about to start spring ball.  He felt that I should be at home resting.  This all happened before my junior season.  He suspended me indefinitely.  The police investigated and found out that it was a mutual fight.  The case was dismissed, and I was supposed to start again that year.  Coach Bellotti called me and told me that I could come back.  But I was so overwhelmed and I couldn’t focus on football that spring.  I actually played in the first two games that season.  But I got hurt during the third game against Fresno State.  I still felt that the whole situation hung over me.  My family was unhappy about the situation.  I didn’t want to come back to the team again.  I continued to go to school until the next spring.  Then I felt that I had to regain my focus elsewhere.
 

Alex Khvatov:  How did you wind up at Hampton?

Jackie Bates:  Okay, I had two years left of eligibility.  I was thinking about going to Cal.  But I knew that I had to sit out a year and then I would only have one year of eligibility.  I wanted to play right away, so I started to look at the D-IAA programs.  I liked Umass when I went there for a visit.  I liked the coaches and thought about going there.  I went home and then went on a visit to Hampton next week.  I bonded with the coaches.  I remembered the success that their players had at the Combine.  I wanted to continue my education and I hopefully wanted to play in the NFL.  I came to the East Coast because there were better D-IAA programs there than on the West Coast.  I wanted to go to a strong program on the East Coast.  Coach Holmes made an impression on me.  I really liked the school.
 

Alex Khvatov:  Tell me about your first season with the Pirates last year.

Jackie Bates:  Well, I transferred.  I worked real hard.  I recorded a 4.23 in the forty in the spring.  The coaches were impressed.  I continued to work hard.  I missed some two games in the beginning of the season because of the transfer rules.  I was ineligible for the first two games.  When I played in my first game of the season, I had 9 tackles and a pick in the endzone which set us up for the win.  We got the win.  I felt great because I really helped our team win.  I fed off of that game for the rest of the season.  We lost a lot of close games last year.  We realized that we had to work harder.  The close losses came from not doing the little things.  We focused on the hitting, the running and the conditioning.  As a senior, I feel that I have the respect of my teammates.  Now we need to go and win some ball games.  
 

Alex Khvatov:  What are your strengths on the football field?

Jackie Bates:  My instincts.  I react to things good.  I feel plays out.  I can tell when it is a pass or a run 90% of the time.  I play my technique.  I am very instinctive.  I am fast, quick, tough and physical.  I am only 180 pounds, but I play with a lot of heart and instinct.  
 

Alex Khvatov:  What areas of your game do you need to improve upon during your senior season?

Jackie Bates:  I need to get stronger physically.  Terrell Owens looks so impressive physically.  You have to be really strong and dedicated to the weight room.  I measure myself to TO and Anquin Boldin.  I know that pressing and jamming those guys at the line of scrimmage, I will have to push my body to the max.  Up to this point, I haven’t had anyone beat me flat out in terms of speed.  It is all about me coming into the NFL and listening to the coaches.  It is all about picking up tips from other corners.  An ideal situation would be me being an understudy to an older corner.  I have to continue to study film and run.  My conditioning also has to be to a top tee.  I have to outwork people, keep my work ethic and have faith in the Lord.
 

Alex Khvatov:  What is the most memorable moment of your football career up to this point?

Jackie Bates:  I have two things that stand out in college.  My best game was at Arizona State during my sophomore season against.  I went up against Derek Hagan.  He had one catch against me.  Another good memory is when I got a Freshman MVP after my freshman year.  I came in as a true freshman and played hard and well.  At Hampton last year, I led the Conference in passes defended.  The funny thing is that it was unexpected.  I was only thrown to once or twice a game.  My coaches were like no one is throwing your way.  At end of the season, we found that I led the conference in passes defended which was special.
 

Alex Khvatov:  What is your favorite NFL team?

Jackie Bates:  I liked the Cowboys.  Well, I was a big fan of Deion Sanders and I liked whatever team he was on.  I liked the 49ers when he was there.  I even liked the Redskins when he went there at the end of his career.  But I would say that the Raiders are my favorite team.  I have never been to a professional game, but there is something about the silver and black.  It is close to home.  It is real cool.
 

Alex Khvatov:  Who is your favorite player?

Jackie Bates:  That’s easy, Deion Sanders.  Deion was just so fast and athletic.  It is just crazy.  He was so entertaining.  He was so good as a football player.  He had so much style and confidence.  He would make a big play every time.  He came through in the clutch.
 

Alex Khvatov:  Who is the toughest player that you have faced during your career?

Jackie Bates:  I would say Adrian Peterson or Reggie Bush.  I would say one of those guys.
 

Alex Khvatov:  Which underclassman on your team should we keep an eye on in the future?

Jackie Bates:  Let’s say LaMarcus Coker.  He was a RB from Tennessee.  He is just so fast.  He has another gear.  Only certain players have that extra gear.  Some things can’t be coached.
 

Alex Khvatov:  What are your expectations from a personal and a team standpoint for your senior year?

Jackie Bates:  Okay, I want to speak about the team expectations first.  We want to win the conference.  I want to get better every week.  I don’t want to get big headed.  I want to work hard, stay hungry and improve every week.  I want to get Hampton into the playoffs.  I want to stay focused and win games.  I want to get better, work hard every week and make plays.  I would like to have some people throw my way and do what my coaches ask of me.
 

Alex Khvatov:  So far your team has a 3-1 record in this early part of the year, what is your forecast for the rest of the season?

Jackie Bates:  I think that we can win the rest of the games.  If we stay level headed, we can do it.  We are 3-1 right now, but we were 3-0 last year.  But we ended up the season 6-5 last year.  I think that we will win the rest of our games.
 

Alex Khvatov:  Is it every cornerback’s dream to be left on an island against a wide receiver?

Jackie Bates:  Oh yeah, I love it.  There is something about that feeling.  Everyone can see you.  You have to beat the guy in front of you.  You think that you are a better athlete.  It is just about competing.  It takes a special person.  You got to win the battle.  It is a great feeling.
 

Alex Khvatov:  Do you have to have thick skin to play cornerback on any level?

Jackie Bates:  Definitely, coach told me at Oregon that you have to have big cajones and a short memory to play cornerback.  I got benched at Oregon when I gave up deep balls back to back.  I was young and it got to me as a freshman at Oregon.  When I got beat, I left a lot of my confidence.  I never had that feeling since that day.  Now I am to the point that I feel that I will destroy the guy off the line.  If the guy would catch the ball, I would have gotten frustrated in my early days.  Now I feel that he will get his plays.  I got to have tough skin and a short memory.  I also got to go on to the next play.  You will have growing pains as a corner.  It is all about balling.
 

Alex Khvatov:  What is the most important quality that a successful cornerback should possess?

Jackie Bates:  Other than just being fast, it is all about just being confident in yourself.  I am not cocky; I am just a confident player.  You got to feel that you are better than him and beat the guy that you are going up against.  If you don’t think like that, you can’t be a good corner. 
 

Alex Khvatov:  What do you enjoy most about playing football?

Jackie Bates:  I love competing.  I have been playing this game since I have been nine years old in uniform.  But I have been playing since six with my friends.  My mom bought me a real small 49ers uniform when I was six.  I love football.  I am intelligent and I am good in school.  But football is my passion and my love.  I love competing.  I put football above everything except for God and my family.  Making contact and making plays is what I live for.  I really enjoy it in my life.
 

Alex Khvatov:  Is the NFL a dream or a reality at this point?

Jackie Bates:  It’s still a dream to me because it is not promised to anyone.  A lot of good players don’t go to the NFL.  One of my friends led Oregon in interceptions one year and he didn’t get drafted.  He didn’t even get an invite to camp.  It makes me realize that it is not promised to anyone.  Sometimes good players don’t get a shot, so it is still a dream.  It is all about working hard.  It is about making that dream come true.  I don’t get big headed.  It is not set in stone that I will make it.  A lot of my teammates joke to me about the NFL.  If I do make it, it will be a blessing for me and my family.  Then it will become a reality.  I dream about that dream every night.  I will try to make it a reality.
 

Alex Khvatov:  What is the one thing in your daily life that you can’t live without?

Jackie Bates:  Looking in the mirror and flexing.  It is all about getting dressed and looking good when you are going to class.  I brush my teeth, spray my cologne on and start my day off good and clean.  I praise the Lord every day.
 

Alex Khvatov:  If you could go back in time, who is the one person that you would like to have dinner with and why?

Jackie Bates:  Let me think.  I am a Political Science major.  It would probably be Martin Luther King.  I would also say Deion Sanders when he was in college or Charles Woodson at Michigan.  I watched him play.  I just wanted to see how those guys lived in college. 
 

Alex Khvatov:  What are your hobbies? 

Jackie Bates:  I like turning on my music and listening to Lil Wayne.  He is a great musician.  He is ahead of his time.  He is like a rock star trapped in a rocker’s body.  He is iconic.  He is like Ozzy Osbourne.  He is a talented guy.  I am also really in tattoos.  My two sleeves and my chest are covered with tattoos.  At the same time, I am a very professional person.  If you get to talk to me, you realize that I am not some crazy, creepy dude.  It is just a big hobby of mine.  I also like to browse the internet, check out YouTube.  I like to watch TV and sleep.  I keep to myself.  I don’t like to be put off track.   
 

Alex Khvatov:  Finish the sentence, Jackie Bates is…

Jackie Bates:  I would say on the field, I am the best corner in college football.  Not the best, but I am one of the best.  I have some things that other corners don’t have.  Although I do realize that there are some corners like Vontae Davis who are really good.  Off-the-field, I am all about looking good.  I am also a people person.  I love people.