From playing college soccer to kicking game-winning field goals at the highest level, former Texas State Bobcat Jake Bates has progressively reached new heights in his career.
On June 18, 2024, Bates signed a two-year, $1.98 million contract with the Detroit Lions.
The rookie kicker went 26-for-29 on field goal attempts in the 2024-25 regular season, including three game-winners, earning Detroit the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the 2025 NFL playoffs. If it weren’t for Bates’ clutch kicking, the Minnesota Vikings would be the NFC’s top seed, and the Lions wouldn’t have the luxury of a first-round bye.
Before his successful NFL rookie campaign and college football career, Bates played two seasons of soccer for the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears (2017-18).
“I was kind of done with soccer [after playing for Central Arkansas],” Bates said. “I wanted to see what else might be out there.”
After his time with the Sugar Bears, Bates, who hadn’t played in an organized football game since high school, began regularly kicking footballs in aid of his friend’s endeavor to walk on at TCU. Eventually, Bates sparked the idea of attempting to walk on somewhere himself.
“I started taking video and sending it out to literally every school that I could find the special teams coordinator’s email,” Bates said. “Texas State was literally the only one that responded. I had no connection to them or anything. I think [special teams coordinator Nick Whitworth] just happened to be scrolling through his email that day.”
Despite serving solely as a kickoff specialist, Bates said he learned a lot from his time at Texas State, citing kicker Seth Keller as an inspiration.
“A big thing [I admired about Keller] was how he approached every single day, whether it was a practice or a game. He had so much intent behind everything he did,” Bates said. “Just being able to shadow that and turning it into the way I wanted it to be for my kicking [was helpful].”
Bates spent two seasons with Texas State (2020-21) before transferring to the University of Arkansas for his final season of eligibility (2022), where he earned First-Team All-SEC honors.
“For somebody that didn’t have much attached to his name as far as kicking, I think [earning First Team ALL-SEC honors] at least added something to my resume and showed that I do have a good leg,” Bates said.
After being cut by the Houston Texans in the 2023 NFL preseason, Bates, thinking his football career was over, worked as a brick salesman in Houston before finding a spot on the UFL‘s Michigan Panthers.
“My agent happened to know the [general manager] for the Panthers, so they brought me on to camp,” Bates said. “I don’t know if they knew anything about me or if they were literally just doing a favor for my agent.”
Even though his roster spot was potentially earned as a favor, Bates immediately made a name for himself in the UFL, kicking a jaw-dropping 64-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to give the Panthers an 18-16 victory against the St. Louis Battlehawks. The field goal, Bates’ first since high school, was two yards shy of Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker’s 66-yard NFL record.
“I definitely think [the 64-yard field goal] got a little attention stirring, and then [with] the whole back story of I haven’t kicked a field goal since high school, I think there was so much left [of me] to be seen,” Bates said.
The former soccer player converted 17 of 22 field goals in 10 games with the Panthers, leading to his deal with Detroit.
After a strong rookie season, Bates prepares for the next stop in his unconventional career: the NFL playoffs.
“I know [the playoffs are] a little bit bigger of a stage, but at the same time, I know I can’t get too ahead of myself or let the moment get too big,” Bates said.
If Detroit wins its next two games, Bates will become the fourth former Bobcat to compete in the Super Bowl.
Bates and the Lions will face the Washington Commanders in the NFL Divisional Round at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, at Ford Field in Detroit. The game will be available to stream on FOX.
