UFL's Jake Bates Drills 64-Yard Kick To Win Game, And It's His First Made Field Goal Since High School

The UFL officially kicked off its inaugural season Saturday, and the newest football league had a little March Madness of its own. The Michigan Panthers sealed an 18-16 win over the St. Louis Battlehawks to close out opening day — thanks to a 64-yard field goal by Jake Bates as time expired.

And to make things even crazier, it was the first field goal Bates had made since he was in high school.

The 25-year-old was first a soccer player at Central Arkansas for two seasons before transferring to Texas State. He joined the Bobcats' football team as a kickoff specialist before moving on again to Arkansas two years later. He was First-Team All-SEC in 2022 as a kickoff specialist for the Razorbacks.

Lots of kicking, but no field goal attempts.

(Photo by Nic Antaya/UFL/Getty Images)

In 2023, the Houston Texans signed Bates as an undrafted free agent, but they cut him in training camp. And now here he is — drilling 64-yarders. 

That's tremendously impressive, considering only two NFL kickers have ever made field goals of 64+ yards in the league's 104-season history. Justin Tucker has the record with 66 yards in 2021, and Matt Prater hit a 64-yarder in 2013.

"I prepared for this moment. I was ready," Bates said after the game. "When you have a lot of faith in your guys, man, nothing is (impossible with) God. He is risen. Easter weekend, man. It's a really special feeling."

By the way, the Battlehawks tried icing Bates by calling their final timeout, giving him a 64-yard warm-up attempt. He made that one, too.

What a power move.

The UFL is the result of a merger between the USFL and the XFL. Teams will play a 10-week season, culminating in a championship game on June 16. You can catch Jake Bates and the Panthers in action next Sunday, April 7, against the Birmingham Stallions at noon on ESPN.