Former All-UFL Kicker Included in Detroit Lions’ 53-Man Roster
To no one's surprise, spring football has seen one of its kickers make the final roster of an NFL team for the second straight season.
Former Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates is set to be the starting kicker of the Detroit Lions after the team finalized their 53-man roster on Tuesday.
Bates converted six of his seven field goals in the preseason with a long of 55 yards and went 3-of-4 on extra points. The Lions signed Bates right after the Panthers finished their season with a 7-3 regular-season record and a playoff loss to the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL Conference Championship game.
🚨 IT’S JAKE BATES SZN 🚨 pic.twitter.com/NzYI2VD0xd
— Michigan Panthers (@USFLPanthers) August 27, 2024
In Week 1 of the UFL season, Bates made a huge statement, nailing a game-winning 64-yard field goal against the St. Louis Battlehawks to help Michigan win 18-16. That kick was the second-longest field goal in professional football history behind Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker’s 66-yard field goal.
Bates finished the regular season with 17 made field goals out of 22 attempts, which is good for 77%, and the second-most made field goals in the league The UFL named him to the All-UFL team after he hit more 60-yard field goals than any other kicker.
He first attended Texas State before transferring to Arkansas, where he never attempted a field goal. Bates landed on the First Team All-SEC team in 2022 as a kickoff specialist.
He joins former Arlington Renegades defensive end Jalen Redmond as the only players from the UFL to make an NFL roster.
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