Latest news with #JakeBates
New York Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
How Jake Bates went from soccer prodigy to brick salesman to rising star with the Lions
On the night before a Lions game, kicker Jake Bates is feeling twitchy. Of course he is. The first field goal he ever made at any level was last year. In 37 college games at Texas State and Arkansas, he made more tackles — two — than field goals — zero. In his high school career, Bates attempted two field goals and missed both. Advertisement Now he's thinking about kicking in a stadium in front of 70,000 fans, maybe with the game on the line. He knows what will make him calm. At the Lions hotel, he meets with the team clinician, who instructs him to close his eyes and walk through the hours leading up to the game so that when the time comes, it will be as if he has been there before. After dinner, he hits the ice cream bar, preparing a bowl so enormous that it's a topic of conversation among teammates. He loads up the bowl with brownies, broken-up Oreos, waffle cone pieces, caramel and whipped cream. 'Oh, man, it's the biggest bowl of ice cream I think I've ever seen,' says Lions punter Jack Fox, who is also Bates' holder. 'It's like a five-scoop bowl.' The thing is, Bates usually eats cleanly and abstains from sweets — except on the night before a game. To him, that bowl of ice cream is like a deep breath. In the morning, there are rituals. He arrives at the stadium and walks onto the field in street clothes. In the locker room, it must be sock on the right foot, shoe on the right foot, sock on the left foot, shoe on the left foot. Before he warms up, he sits on the field with his eyes closed. 'It's feeling the ground and almost trying to connect my mind to the turf,' he says. As he does it, he envisions what the game will be like. He loosens up, listening to music, soothing music, slower songs from Lauren Daigle, Larry Fleet and Needtobreathe. Back in the locker room, he avoids conversation. Everyone knows to leave him alone, like a baseball pitcher working on a no-no. The last thing Bates does before heading out to the field is read a Bible verse in which the apostle Paul exhorts the Hebrews to 'throw off everything that hinders.' As Bates prepares for the opening kickoff, he's not twitchy anymore. People everywhere are wondering what he's doing here. Jake Bates, though, has no doubt he's where he's supposed to be. Bates family lore tells a story about 18-month-old Jake. His brother, Cole, who was 18 months older, signed up to play on a YMCA soccer team. Jake had to have a uniform like Cole, and managed to take the field while the family was watching one of Cole's games. From then on, he was the team's goalie, making both saves and fans. Advertisement At 10, he began playing club soccer in Tomball, Texas. By then, he had the leg strength of someone who had been born on the planet Krypton. At a soccer camp at Texas A&M, the speed of the participants' kicks was measured with a radar gun. Bates, who was matched with older kids, had the fastest kick. As an 11-year-old, he became a starter on Cole's team of 13-year-olds. He began playing academy soccer at 14. He once hit a free kick from about 40 yards that defied physics' laws — rising over the wall, bending hard and going in upper 90. A video of it went viral. Eventually, he became the right center back for Texans SC. The left center back was Chris Richards, who now plays for Crystal Palace of the Premier League as well as the United States national team. Richards was taller, faster and more athletic, but Bates made plays, too. 'I would put him up against anybody as a center back, but that's from mother eyes,' his mom, Mariana, says. 'We've said all along he could be playing at that (Premier League) level with Chris. What he lacked in speed, he made up for in knowing angles.' The pair led their team to the national championship in 2017. On his soccer team at Tomball High, Bates earned all-district first-team honors and was voted offensive MVP of his team. He started as a freshman and sophomore at the University of Central Arkansas. Both years, his team lost in the Division I men's soccer championship game. He scored a goal on the road in the 82nd minute to beat Missouri State for the ASUN conference championship in 2018. Bates loved playing soccer. Until he didn't. 'He kind of burned out on it,' his mom says. It can happen when you've been consumed by something for 18 of your 20 years. Bates told himself playing somewhere else would relight the fire. Rutgers offered a spot; he said no. His dream was to play for SMU, and then they finally wanted him. But soccer just didn't feel right. Advertisement He walked away. Bates played football his senior year of high school and was the second-string kicker to a sophomore. The two kickers kept in touch, and after Bates was done with soccer, he practiced his field goal kicking with his friend for fun. Then he started thinking about ways he could kick in college. He sent highlight videos to every college coach he could. One responded, and he was given an opportunity at Texas State. His only job was kickoffs. Before his first game, he listened to agitating music that he thought would pump him up. One of the assistant coaches pounded his forehead into Bates' for motivation. Then Bates kicked his first kickoff as hard as he could — and 'duck hooked' it out of bounds. 'What I learned,' he says, 'is I have to do what I can to stay as calm as possible.' He remembered that lesson when he transferred to Arkansas, where his 64 touchbacks were third most in the country in 2022. The Razorbacks' field goal kicker was future Jacksonville Jaguar Cam Little, and he knew better than almost anyone about Bates' potential. Little convinced independent kicking coach Adam Tanalski to give Bates a spot at Hammer Kicking Academy, where Little and others trained in preparation for the draft. The first couple of days at the camp, Bates felt pressure to prove he belonged. He kicked like he didn't. 'I remember thinking I can't make a kick,' he says. 'It was shockingly bad. I walked away from some practices thinking I must be the worst kicker in the world.' After one awful practice, he called his father, Jonathan, and told him he was out of his league. Then he got on LinkedIn to look for a real-world job. Tanalski eventually helped settle and refine him, and Bates made it through nine weeks in the program. Bates wasn't drafted, but a few months later in training camp, Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn strained his quadriceps. The Texans needed a kicker to fill in for a preseason game, so they signed Bates, whom they knew was living close by and had been to the team's local pro day. Advertisement Against the Patriots, Bates attempted three extra points, missing one. He was released two days later when Fairbairn was ready to return. That's when he finally gave up on football. Bates points to the wall next to him and identifies a brick. He believes it's a 'utility' brick. It's red — one of about 50 shades of red brick, he says. He knows because he took a job selling bricks for Acme Brick in the fall of 2023. When he joined the company, he told his boss he was done kicking, and he meant it. This, he thought, would be his 'grown-up job.' Three weeks later, that changed. As the general manager of the UFL's Michigan Panthers, Steve Kazor doesn't have a budget to scout the country. But he looks for reasons to drive to nearby schools from his home in Texas. One weekend in the fall of 2022, he dropped off his wife, Colleen, at her sister's house in Arkansas. Then he drove to Arkansas to take in a practice. His eyes opened wide when a kicker hit the upright from his own 30-yard line on a kickoff. The school's pro liaison showed Kazor tape of the kicker hitting the upright three times on kickoffs. As Kazor prepared for the 2024 season, he and Panthers head coach Mike Nolan wanted to add a kickoff specialist. Kazor, who coached special teams in the NFL for 14 years, thought about the kicker he saw at Arkansas. Bates' agent, Marty Magid, showed Kazor more tape of Bates, and Kazor signed him, thinking he would be a kickoff specialist only, with another kicker handling field goals and extra points. In training camp, Bates' kickoffs were spectacular. And he also nailed field goal after field goal. The Panthers wouldn't need two kickers after all. Late in the season opener, Michigan trailed St. Louis 16-15. With three seconds to play, Bates attempted — and hit — a 64-yard field goal. But the opponent had called a timeout. Advertisement Then he hit it again. That 64-yard game-winner was the first field goal he made in his life. If it had happened in the NFL, at the time, it would have tied for the second-longest ever behind Justin Tucker's 66-yarder. Later that season, he also hit a 62-yard field goal and a 60-yarder in games. In practice, with the help of a friendly breeze, he made one from 75 yards. When the UFL season ended, teams contacted Magid to request tryouts. Magid refused. Bates didn't need to try out. The Chiefs, Colts, Ravens and Cardinals were interested. Then the Commanders, Lions and Packers made offers. Bates visited all three. The Lions offered one of the best contracts ever for a street free agent — two years, $1.98 million, with $150,000 guaranteed. And they offered more, including a championship-caliber roster, a culture that made him feel he belonged and a schedule that featured 15 of 17 games indoors. They seemed perfect for him — except for the presence of Michael Badgley, who had gone three-for-three on field goals in the previous postseason for Detroit, including nailing a 54-yard game-winner against the 49ers. Then Badgley tore his hamstring early in camp. Many assumed another kicker would be signed, but Lions special teams coach Dave Fipp believed fiercely in Bates and told anyone who would listen they needed to buy in on him. Head coach Dan Campbell trusted Fipp. That meant no training camp competition. There were skeptics, but being underestimated probably was beneficial for Bates. 'He's so determined to prove people wrong who didn't think he was good enough,' Fipp says. In training camp, however, Bates wasn't good enough. In one practice, he missed six of 14 attempts, including his last one, a 40-yarder that was supposed to lead to an overtime segment. After that practice, he called his then-fiancee, Presley Folkert, who became his wife in March. Advertisement 'I'm getting cut tomorrow,' he told her. 'There's no way they can keep me.' Instead of cutting Bates, Campbell told him he didn't need to be perfect. Fipp told him to focus on one kick and only one — the next. Teammates never sniped at him. That wouldn't have happened on some teams. Probably most teams. 'I had so many people telling me I would be OK, calm down, I'll figure it out,' he says. In the first preseason game, he kicked a 53-yard field goal in bad weather against the Giants. Bates started to think he could do this. Then a 30-yard field goal attempt went wide right. Before the miss, he told himself, 'Don't miss it, don't miss it, don't miss it.' Fipp encouraged positive thoughts. 'You never want to say, 'Don't miss,'' he told him. 'You want to say, 'Put it through the middle.'' The following week, Campbell held a 'fowling' tournament for his team. Fowling is a cross between football and bowling, in which participants try to knock over pins by throwing a football at them. That's when the Lions saw something in Bates they didn't realize was there — a shark. You don't always find it in players who are supposed to be hunters, but it clearly was there in the kicker. 'The bigger the throw, the more he was on,' Fipp says. 'You could see his focus and lock in.' Bates' team — he was with then-long snapper Scott Daly and assistant special teams coach Jett Modkins — advanced to the championship game before losing in sudden death. Afterward, Fipp pulled aside Campbell. 'Dude,' he said, 'there is something about this guy.' Campbell and Fipp were feeling good but thinking soberly. Their plan for Bates was to gradually build his confidence early in the season with easy kicks. His first field goal attempt in the season opener was a 25-yarder. Then, with 17 seconds remaining and the Lions trailing the Rams by three, they needed him to hit a 32-yarder. He delivered and the Lions won in overtime. Advertisement In his first four games, Bates wasn't asked to kick a field goal longer than 35 yards, and he didn't attempt a kick beyond 48 yards until his seventh game. He made his first 19 attempts, the second-longest streak to begin a career in NFL history. You know Campbell was tempted to see Bates boom. During a team practice period, Bates hit a 68-yard field goal. When he was kicking on the side, he nailed a 70-yarder. Then there was a two-minute drill, and Bates kicked a field goal of about 50 yards. Not only did he drill the ball through the uprights, but also he drilled it into the drywall behind the post, leaving a hole in the wall. 'It was repaired the next day, but there is probably still a mark,' Fox says. Fipp, a 17-year NFL veteran, says Bates has the most powerful leg he's ever seen. Fipp often stands behind Bates when he's kicking in practice. 'Every time I look at him getting ready to approach the ball, I see this huge quad hanging off the side of his leg,' he says. 'And I'm like, damn.' Bates' leg strength is so explosive that he can dunk a basketball. He says he is 6-feet-1, not 5-10 as he's listed, however. It's just another way he's underestimated. Bates says some of his leg strength is 'God's gift.' But he enhances the gift with an elaborate stretching routine that takes up an hour every night, year-round. His stretching also might have brought him more attention than any of his field goals, as cameras caught him looking somewhat sensual while trying to loosen a knot in his hip by rolling on a soft massage ball during a game in San Francisco. His routine became a meme, and a carpet company used a photo of him stretching on a billboard with the promise, 'CARPET LAID TOMORROW.' As the season went on, Bates also drew more attention for field goals. Against the Texans, he hit a 58-yarder to tie the game with five minutes left, and then a 52-yarder to win as time expired. It was one of three game-winners he kicked. JAKE. BATES. CALLED. GAME. #DETvsHOU | 📺 NBC — Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 11, 2024 He also set the team record for points scored in a season and led the league with 85 touchbacks. Everything is different heading into Year 2. Bates will be tested by higher expectations, devil winds and maybe missed kicks that can ruin victories and confidence. 'I expect he'll have ups and downs, but I also expect he'll continue to get better and better,' Fipp says. 'I think he's got a chance to be one of the best who ever played.' Advertisement Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000-hour rule says a skill isn't mastered before 10,000 hours of practice. Bates may be the only player in the league who hasn't reached 10,000 hours. He believes the experience he lacks is offset by the intensity of his preparation. 'I would put myself up against anybody, and I think I've worked harder,' he says. Campbell is convinced Bates will follow up a good year with a better one. 'Love Bates,' he says. 'He's wired the right way. He puts the work in. He's mentally strong. When a mistake was made, he kept it simple and corrected the cause of it. He didn't get lost in his own head.' So now we understand why he's here — the cannon leg, commitment like Thomas Edison, the tiger's eye, brilliant coaching and development, and the ability to achieve Zen. And there's more. After Bates' game-winning kick against the Texans, NBC wanted to interview him on the field. He had about 25 seconds, so he closed his eyes and prayed. When Melissa Stark asked him about going from bricks to kicks, he went blank. And then he spoke. 'It just shows how good the Lord is,' he said. 'He's so faithful. If anything, I hope people can see Jesus through my story. That's what I think I'm here to do — not make or miss or be a good kicker or bad kicker, but spread the love of Jesus.' After quitting soccer, Bates wanted to be a football player so desperately that he even tried punting. He signed up to be an equipment manager at Arkansas, hoping it could lead to a kicking tryout. It didn't. When Arkansas later gave him a chance to kick — but no scholarship — he and his family paid his way, gladly. For most of his life, Bates saw an athlete in the mirror. After the Texans released him and it appeared his days as an athlete were over, he wasn't sure what he saw. What struck Jake Bates, brick salesman, was that he had to be something more than what he did. Advertisement And now he is. 'I'm not just Jake Bates, football player,' he says. 'I love playing football and work really hard at it, but that doesn't define me, and it's not the most important thing in my life.' In his lowest moments, he surrendered, realizing his journey had to be directed by God's will, not his. Now he is convinced that this opportunity he has is divine. It takes so many things to kick the long field goals that are his specialty. Of course, it takes a powerful stroke. It takes a precise plant, just the right body lean, contact with the sweet spot of the foot and a graceful follow-through. And it takes something else — perspective. Now, before one of those attempts, Bates tells himself, 'Don't make it bigger than it needs to be.'
Fox Sports
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Five things to watch for in UFL conference championship weekend
Unable to land a roster spot for a full season last year, Rodrigo Blankenship decided to pursue a blueprint to get back his NFL dream job that former UFL kickers Brandon Aubrey and Jake Bates successfully took advantage of in spring football. "There's definitely been a precedence established where if you can kick at a really high level in a spring league, it can definitely provide opportunities for you," Blankenship told FOX Sports. "Jake Bates last year had some really big kicks. Branden Aubrey, when he was with the Stallions, was just automatic for them for a couple [of] years, and then he got his opportunity and is crushing it as well. "That definitely gave me a lot of hope and a lot of inspiration to see that if you can execute and do your job, then hopefully the opportunities are going to be there for you when it's all said and done." Blankenship signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks in January after attending a UFL showcase in San Diego hosted by former NFL kicker John Karney the month prior. His plan has so far worked to perfection. The Georgia product went 21-for-22 on field goals during the regular season with a long of 56 yards. The only kicker close to achieving those results in the UFL was the Birmingham Stallions' Harrison Mevis, who made 20 of 21 field goals with a long of 54 yards. The lone miss for Mevis was from 63 yards, while Blankenship had a 58-yard field goal bounce short off the crossbar. Blankenship won the Lou Groza Award as the best kicker in college football in his final season at Georgia in 2019. He entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie with the Indianapolis Colts, eventually earning the starting job. However, Blankenship suffered a hip injury during his second season that landed him on IR. He was waived after the season opener of his third season with the Colts, missing a 42-yarder that would have won the game in overtime. Blankenship appeared in a game with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022 and lost a kicking competition to Chase McLoughlin with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during training camp 2023. He finished 47-for-56 (83.9%) on field goals with a long of 53 yards during his three seasons in the NFL. Blankenship is fully healthy after having surgery to fix his hip injury in January 2023. He and his wife relocated to Birmingham, Alabama, where his longtime kicking coach, Mike McCabe, resides. The year away offered a time to work on his craft and reflect on his career. Blankenship posted weekly updates of his workouts last year on social media. "It was different," he said. "It was a little frustrating, to not get a phone call throughout the entire season, but it was a time for me to have to grow mentally and emotionally — to have to persevere and have to stay the course. Just to trust that whatever plans are in store for me are unfolding the way they are supposed to." Blankenship has been one of the main reasons the Battlehawks are a league-best 8-2 heading into the postseason. St. Louis hosts the DC Defenders (6-4) in the XFL Conference title game on Sunday (6 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX Sports app), followed by the defending champion Stallions (7-3) will host the Michigan Panthers (6-4) in the USFL Conference title game (3 p.m. ET). Here's a closer look at what else to watch for during conference championship weekend. XFL Conference title game: Battlehawks vs. Defenders The two teams split during the regular season, as the Defenders defeated the Battlehawks by double digits, 27-15, in St. Louis in Week 3 when Manny Wilkins was still the starting quarterback. However, the Battlehawks took care of the Defenders in the final game of the regular season, 13-8, with both teams resting key players for the playoffs. St. Louis head coach Anthony Becht is 15-6 (including the postseason) in two years in the UFL and finished with a 7-3 record during his one season in the legacy XFL. Defenders interim head coach Shannon Harris is 6-4 in his one season at the helm. The Defenders hold a 4-3 all-time record against the Battlehawks. Key matchup: Battlehawks defense vs. Defenders QB Jordan Ta'amu A strength for St. Louis this season has been the team's potent pass rush, led by UFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate Pita Taumoepenu (7.5 sacks). The Battlehawks have held teams to a league-low 16.3 points per game and finished tied for a league-high nine interceptions on the year. However, St. Louis faces the best playmaking quarterback in the UFL this season with league MVP frontrunner Ta'amu. The Ole Miss product finished first in the league in passing touchdowns (17) and second in the UFL in passing yards (2,153). Keeping Ta'amu from creating explosive plays will be a top priority for St. Louis' defense. Key stats: Battlehawks running back Jacob Saylors finished second in the UFL in rushing yards with 499, leading a St. Louis offense that topped the league in rushing, averaging 144 rushing yards a contest. St. Louis receiver Jahcour Pearson led the league in punt return yards with 294. St. Louis QB Max Duggan leads all signal-callers with 300 rushing yards and totaled five rushing touchdowns during the regular season. Defenders receiver Chris Rowland led the UFL in all-purpose yards (1,100) during the regular season. Rowland's teammate Cornell Powell topped the league in receiving touchdowns with seven. Derick Roberson and Andre Mintze finished with a team-high 5.5 sacks each, while All-UFL linebacker Anthony Hines III led the Defenders with 53 combined tackles. UFL Conference title game: Stallions vs. Panthers The Stallions are seeking their fourth consecutive spring football championship, having won back-to-back USFL titles and the first UFL championship last season. "With the 2025 team, I'm only trying to win one championship with this team," Birmingham head coach Skip Holtz said. The Stallions are 39-7 under Holtz. On the other side, Michigan head coach Mike Nolan has led the Panthers to the playoffs for a second straight year, posting a 17-15 record overall in two seasons. This is the eighth meeting between the two teams, and Birmingham owns a 7-0 all-time record. The Panthers enter this weekend's contest on a two-game losing streak. However, All-UFL QB Bryce Perkins had missed the last three games with an ankle injury but is expected to play Sunday. The Stallions swept the season series this year and defeated the Panthers in the USFL Championship Game last season, 31-18. Key matchup: Stallions defensive line vs. Panthers rushing offense Michigan's best chance at stunning the Stallions is controlling the line of scrimmage by establishing the running game, playing keep away from a Birmingham offense that has averaged 33 points a contest over the past four games. The Panthers are second in the UFL in rushing, averaging 128 rushing yards a contest. Michigan has the best short yardage running back in the league in Toa Taua, who led the league with six rushing touchdowns. And the return of Perkins gives the Panthers a dynamic, dual-threat quarterback who can make plays with his feet and his arm in space. Key stats: Panthers receiver Siaosi Mariner led the UFL in receiving yards with 528. All-UFL cornerback Kedrick Whitehead Jr. led Michigan with 66 combined tackles. The Panthers committed 12 turnovers with seven lost fumbles and five interceptions during the regular season. The Stallions have forced 16 turnovers this season, tied for third in the UFL. Birmingham sack leader Bradlee Anae (4.0 sacks) is expected to return to the lineup after missing two games due to a hamstring injury. Linebacker Kyahva Tezino led the Stallions with 57 tackles, including five tackles for loss. Tezino also finished with one sack, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. QB J'Mar Smith helped lead the Stallions to a USFL title in 2022 and has been the savior of Birmingham's offense since his midseason return, going 52-for-80 for 758 yards with six touchdowns and one interception in four games played. Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him at @eric_d_williams . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience United Football League recommended Get more from United Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
CBS News
27-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Michigan Panthers to give away bobbleheads of Lions kicker Jake Bates
The Michigan Panthers will compete in their final home game this season with a bobblehead giveaway featuring Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates. On May 31, the Panthers will play the Houston Roughnecks at Ford Field. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. The team said the first 2,000 fans at Ford Field will get a bobblehead. The Panthers clinched a spot in the USFL Conference Championship for the second year. They will take on the Birmingham Stallions on June 8 at Protective Stadium in Alabama in the conference finals. The game winner will play the D.C. Defenders or St. Louis Battlehawks in the championship on June 14. The Panthers lost to the Stallions in the 2024 conference finals. The Stallions would go on to win the championship against the San Antonio Brahmas. Bates played one season with the Panthers before he signed a two-year contract with the Lions. He made 26 of his 29 field goal attempts and 64 of the 67 extra point attempts in the Lions' 2024 season. He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month and NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for weeks 7 and 10.
NBC Sports
28-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
UFL players will start season without a strike
The UFL's players have no new Collective Bargaining Agreement. They'll nevertheless proceed with the season as scheduled, reports Kevin Seifert of It starts on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. ET, with the Houston Roughnecks hosting the St. Louis Battlehawks. The development comes as no surprise to those monitoring the spring league. The players lack the appetite to strike. They want to play football — and they want to play well enough to earn a shot in the NFL. Lions kicker Jake Bates did it last year; his story was chronicled by on Friday. That becomes a powerful carrot for players not inclined to stick it to UFL ownership. That said, the players aren't remaining silent. Seifert reports that some players plan to deliver a letter to UFL co-owner Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, if he attends the regular-season opener in Houston. The letter explains that they want year-round health insurance or a raise that will cover it. The letter also contends that UFL management has refused to bargain with the players in good faith, and that the UFL is willing to invest in everyone but the players. The players likewise appeal to Johnson's history as a player and union member, reminding him of his vow that UFL players can 'live their dreams and take care of their families.' The best way to get the Rock's attention would be to walk. Unless and until the players are willing to do that, the imbalance of power will linger. And the players will have a hard time getting what they want.
