UFL's new kickoff: Why Jake Bates timed rise to Lions stardom perfectly
Jake Bates emerged as one of the UFL's greatest success stories during the spring league's 2024 season.
The 25-year-old made the Michigan Panthers roster after three seasons as a kickoff specialist in college. The former soccer player was given an opportunity to kick field goals for the first time since high school and made the most of it, making several game-winning kicks for the team, including a 64-yarder in his first UFL game.
Bates parlayed his strong performance into an opportunity with the Detroit Lions. He capped off his meteoric rise from college soccer player to brick salesman to professional kicker by making 26 of 29 field goals for the Lions during his rookie season.
Watching Bates in action was "really exciting" for those associated with the UFL, according to Panthers head coach Mike Nolan as his team prepared for the UFL opener March 30.
"Everybody I know that had any kind of part in the UFL last year was watching Jake all season long, which is really unique to watch a kicker," Nolan told USA TODAY in a phone interview. "Everybody was excited when he had to kick a field goal or extra point or kick off, whatever it might be."
Nolan said the Panthers were "blessed" to have Bates and expressed gratitude that Bates got an opportunity to prove he was "a fantastic kicker" when he did.
Why? Because Bates' skill set may not have been as much of a fit for the Panthers in 2025.
"It's a different kind of kicker we're looking for this year," Nolan detailed, "and it wouldn't have been the Jake Bates type."
How UFL's kickoff change impacts kickers like Jake Bates
The UFL operated with a traditional kickoff rule during its 2024 season with a notable caveat. Kicks would come from the 20-yard line – 15 yards further back than the NFL – to encourage more returns.
That led teams to target kickers with powerful legs, which is ultimately why Nolan and the Panthers signed Bates.
"We hunted all over to find as big a leg as we could, and that was Jake," Nolan said. "So, we brought him in and he had his opportunity."
Ahead of the 2025 UFL season, the league altered its kickoff to match the NFL's dynamic kickoff. The move was designed to enhance player safety and better prepare them for the NFL.
"For our guys, if that's the kickoff that they have to be experienced with and understand the nuances and subtleties of it, we need to have it in our league," UFL executive vice president Daryl Johnston told USA TODAY. "That's going to help them more getting up to that next level."
That said, there is a wrinkle in the UFL's kickoff procedure: teams are penalized if the ball is kicked through the end zone. That places a premium on kick placement rather than pure power, which, along with his lack of experience kicking field goals, could have negatively impacted Bates were he trying to break into the UFL this season.
"We probably would not have signed Jake Bates this year because we were looking for more of a field goal kicker," Nolan said.
Michigan Panthers kicker battle
Nolan's message rings true, as the Panthers have invested in three experienced kickers to battle it out to replace Bates.
Chris Blewitt spent parts of three seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and Cleveland Browns. He attempted five field goals for the Commanders during the 2021 NFL season, making just two of them, but has spent the last two seasons as a successful spring football kicker with Pittsburgh Maulers and Birmingham Stallions.
Austin Jones is another kicker who has spring league experience. He played collegiately at Temple and Alabama before latching on with the New Jersey Generals in 2023. He kicked with the Houston Gamblers last season and went a combined 11 of 15 on field goals across his two spring-league seasons.
B.T. Potter spent part of the 2023 offseason with the Pittsburgh Steelers but mostly made his name at Clemson. He made 73 of 97 career field goal attempts over five seasons with the Tigers and was a freshman when Clemson won its last national championship.
Nolan is hoping one of the kickers will emerge as a quality replacement for Bates. At the same time, he knows replacing the "classy, humble" star will be no easy task.
"Having him on the team gave us two or three wins," Nolan said. "But outside of that, just the quality and the type of guy Jake is gave us something that you really can't put a measure on."
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Jake Bates timed rise from UFL to Lions stardom perfectly
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