Jake Bates’ athletic career didn’t begin as a kicker, but he is now the hero for the Detroit Lions after Week 10. The Lions were in a deep hole against the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football, but their offense rallied in the second half.
Detroit trailed Houston 26-23 before the Lions kicker drilled a 58-yard field goal to tie the game in the fourth quarter. He then hit a 52-yarder as time expired for the comeback 26-23 victory.
It wasn’t the first winning kick for Bates, as he had a 44-yarder against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 7. If the Lions finally win the team’s first Super Bowl this season, Bates will be a massive reason. It’d be hard to believe that Bates would be in a position to do that, as he wasn’t even a football player until 2020, and he didn’t start kicking in-game field goals until this year.
Jake Bates’ college career
Bates committed to Central Arkansas to begin playing college soccer in 2017. The soccer player turned kicker earned All-District First Team honors and was his high school’s offensive MVP before coming to Central Arkansas.
He followed his brother to Central Arkansas, who was a former player on the team and served as the school’s Director of Soccer Operations. Bates was a good college player, as he played 18 matches in his freshman year, scoring one goal and four shots on goal. He also added four assists.
Bates transferred to Texas State in 2020 to play college football. He only handled kickoff duties but was valuable enough for Arkansas football to come calling in the transfer portal in 2022. Bates only took kickoffs for the Razorbacks but tied Jack Podlesny in votes to be First Team All-SEC.
Bates grew up near Houston in Tomball, Texas, which prompted the Houston Texans to sign him after he went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft. However, they released him 12 days later before the 2023 season began.
Bates’ journey to the NFL
After the Texans cut him, Bates thought he was done with the NFL. He became a brick salesman at Acme Brick, dreaming of another opportunity to be an NFL kicker.
The opportunity came on Christmas Day when the Michigan Panthers of the UFL signed him to a contract. The Panthers came calling because of a new rule that required the ball to travel 80 yards for a touchback.
Bates immediately impacted Michigan, as he hit a 64-yard field goal in Week 1 to break the record for the longest field goal in league history. It is also the second-longest field goal in professional football history, two yards behind Justin Tucker’s record kick.
It was only the second field goal Bates attempted with the first being in high school. He hit two more 60-plus-yard field goals and was on the 2024 All-UFL team.
The Detroit Lions signed Bates to a two-year contract on June 18, 2024. He was one of only two UFL players to make a 53-man roster, with 77 attending preseason camps.
Bates didn’t have a significant field-goal percentage in his UFL career, making 21 of 28 kicks. However, he has been nearly perfect since joining the Lions. He is 10 of 10 on field goals with his longest being 58 yards. Bates is also 20 of 21 on his extra points.
Jake Bates couldn’t have guessed he would be a kicker for the Lions when he was selling bricks in Tomball, Texas, 18 months ago. However, one thing is sure: Bates will never take this second opportunity for granted.
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