Jake Bates
No. 39 – Detroit Lions | |||||||||||
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Position: | Kicker | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | Tomball, Texas, U.S. | March 3, 1999||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 204 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | Tomball (Tomball) | ||||||||||
College: |
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Undrafted: | 2023 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
Career NFL statistics as of Week 14, 2024 | |||||||||||
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Jake Bates (born March 3, 1999) is an American professional football placekicker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college soccer for the Central Arkansas Bears and college football for the Texas State Bobcats and Arkansas Razorbacks. Bates holds the record for the longest field goal in United Football League history, 64 yards.[1]
College career
Bates played two seasons of college soccer at Central Arkansas in 2017 and 2018, before transferring to play college football at Texas State in 2020 where he only handled kickoffs.[2] He transferred to Arkansas in 2022, once again only handling kickoff duties.[3] He was named first-team All-SEC as a kickoff specialist in 2022, tying the selection with Jack Podlesny.[4]
Professional career
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
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6 ft 0+5⁄8 in (1.84 m) |
204 lb (93 kg) |
30 in (0.76 m) |
8+7⁄8 in (0.23 m) | |||||||||
All values from Pro Day[5] |
Houston Texans
After going undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft, Bates signed with the Houston Texans on July 31, 2023.[6][7] He was released on August 12, 2023.[8][9]
Michigan Panthers
On December 25, 2023, Bates signed with the Michigan Panthers of the UFL.[10] Bates's signing was one of several personnel decisions the league made based upon kickoff abilities as the UFL adopted a kickoff rule requiring the ball go 80 yards for a touchback, 15 yards longer than other levels of organized football.[11]
On March 30, 2024, during Week 1 of the 2024 UFL season, Bates made a game-winning 64-yard field goal against the St. Louis Battlehawks, the longest field goal in the history of both the UFL and its predecessor leagues,[12][13] five yards longer than the previous record set by Donny Hageman the previous year.[14] The first in-game field goal of Bates' life,[15] it is tied as the second-longest recorded field goal in professional football history.[15][16][17] Coincidentally, the lone longer kick—Justin Tucker's 66-yard kick for the Baltimore Ravens against the Detroit Lions in 2021—occurred under nearly identical circumstances and on the same field (Ford Field).[12] Bates, who had only attempted – and missed – one field goal before in his life (in high school),[15] had made the kick twice, the first being discarded due to the Battlehawks icing the kicker.[18] Bates would go on to, to date, kick two more field goals of 60 or more yards in 2024: an April 7 kick against Birmingham Stallions from 62 yards out, and a 60-yard kick against Arlington Renegades on May 5.[19][20] The ball Bates kicked on the 64-yard field goal is on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its "Pro Football Today" exhibit.[21] He was named to the 2024 All-UFL team on June 5, 2024.[22] His contract with the team was terminated on June 17, 2024 to sign with an NFL team.[23]
Detroit Lions
On June 18, 2024, Bates signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Lions.[24][25] Bates was one of only two UFL players to make a National Football League 53-man roster out of 77 who participated in the NFL's 2024 preseason (the other being Jalen Redmond).[26]
In Week 7 of the 2024 season, Bates kicked a 44-yard game-winning field goal as the Lions defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 31–29,[27] also being awarded NFC special teams Player of the Week for this feat.[28] In Week 10, Bates kicked a 58-yard field goal against the Houston Texans to tie the game before hitting a 52-yard game-winning field goal in a 26-23 victory. Both field goals only narrowly passed through the uprights, on opposite sides from each other.[29]In Week 13, on NFL on Thanksgiving Day against the Chicago Bears, Bates missed his first career NFL field goal, which was from 45 yards. In Week 14, Bates kicked a 34-yard field goal to win a close game on Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers after a successful drive by the Lions.[30]
Statistics
UFL
Regular season
Field goals | Points | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | GP | FGM | FGA | FG% | Blk | Lng | Pts |
2024 | MICH | 10 | 17 | 22 | 77.2% | 0 | 64 | 51 |
Career | 10 | 17 | 22 | 77.2% | 0 | 64 | 51 |
Postseason
Field goals | Points | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | GP | FGM | FGA | FG% | Blk | Lng | Pts |
2024 | MICH | 1 | 4 | 6 | 66.7% | 1 | 53 | 12 |
Career | 1 | 4 | 6 | 66.7% | 1 | 53 | 12 |
NFL
Regular season
Field goals | Points | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | GP | FGM | FGA | FG% | XPM | XPA | XP% | Blk | Lng | Pts |
2024 | DET | 12 | 20 | 21 | 95.5% | 48 | 49 | 97.7% | 0 | 58 | 111 |
Career | 12 | 19 | 20 | 95.5% | 48 | 49 | 97.7% | 0 | 58 | 111 |
Personal life
Bates is a Christian.[31] He is engaged to Presley Folkerts.[32]
References
- ^ "UFL kicker smashes 64-yard field goal: Watch Jake Bates' improbable kick that almost matched an NFL record".
- ^ "Jacob Bates – Football". Texas State Athletics. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "Jake Bates". Arkansas Razorbacks. March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "2022 All-SEC Football Teams Announced". Southeastern Conference. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "Jake Bates College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
- ^ Wilson, Aaron (August 1, 2023). "Source: Texans signing former Arkansas kicker. Tomball graduate Jake Bates". KPRC. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "Texans' Jake Bates: Signs with Houston". CBSSports.com. August 1, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Wilson, Aaron (August 13, 2023). "Texans activate tight end Teagan Quitoriano, cut Jake Bates". KPRC. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "Jake Bates: Kicked out of Houston". CBSSports.com. August 12, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Larsen, James (December 25, 2023). "Michigan Panthers Sign QB Danny Etling & K Jake Bates". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Waters, Andres (April 3, 2024). "How a kicker went from UCF to YouTube to the UFL: Deestroying is chasing his dreams". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Florio, Mike (March 30, 2024). "64-yard field goal by Jake Bates delivers 18–16 win for Michigan Panthers over St. Louis Battlehawks". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "Who is Jake Bates? Where Michigan Panthers kicker's game-winner would rank among NFL's longest field goals | Sporting News". www.sportingnews.com. March 30, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "XFL kicker Donny Hageman sets league record with 59-yard field goal for St. Louis Battlehawks". CBSSports.com. April 2, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
- ^ a b c Paul, Tony (April 2, 2024). "NFL buzzing on Michigan Panthers' Jake Bates, whose 64-yard FG is a crazier story than you think". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024 – via archive.ph.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Breech, John (April 2, 2024). "UFL kicker has reportedly been contacted by multiple NFL teams after smashing improbable 64-yard field goal". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ McFerran, Riley (2024). "Former Razorback Jake Bates talks 64-yard field goal on Pat McAfee show". arkansas.rivals.com. HawgBeat. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ Kasabian, Paul. "Video: UFL's Jake Bates Kicks 64-Yard Game-Winning FG for Panthers vs. Battlehawks". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ "Video: JAKE BATES WITH ANOTHER 60+ YARD FG". twitter.com. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
- ^ "Jake Bates goes five-for-five with game-winner for Michigan". NBC Sports. May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ "Pro Football Hall of Fame receives artifact from United Football League's opening weekend". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "UFL Announces Inaugural All-UFL Team". www.theufl.com. June 5, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ "UFL Player Transactions, June 17, 2024". UFLBoard.com. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ "Lions sign UFL kicker Jake Bates to 2-year deal". ESPN. June 15, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ Ulrich, Logan (June 18, 2024). "Lions Officially Sign K Jake Bates, Waive K James Turner". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ Miller, Anthony (August 28, 2024). "Former All-UFL Kicker Included in Detroit Lions' 53-Man Roster". UFL. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ^ Moraitis, Mike (October 20, 2024). "Jake Bates hits game-winning field goal to push Lions past Vikings in Week 7 | Sporting News". The Sporting News. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ Baca, Michael (October 23, 2024). "Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, Eagles RB Saquon Barkley highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com.
- ^ "Jake Bates kicks 52-yard field goal as time expires to lead Lions to comeback victory". FOX 2 Detroit. November 10, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
- ^ "Lions clinch playoff spot, defeating Packers 34-31 | FOX 2 Detroit". www.fox2detroit.com. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ Gaydos, Ryan. "Lions' Jake Bates sends faithful message after clutch field goals". Fox News. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
- ^ He lists Greek dolmades as his favourite pre game meal. Evans, David. "Jake Bates Girlfriend: What We Know About Detroit Lions Kicker's GF, Presley Folkerts". SportsCasting. Retrieved November 15, 2024.