(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
The UFL is in its first year of existence after the XFL and USFL merged into one league, and many players will likely be making the leap to the NFL from the UFL in the future.
One former NFL coach already has his eye on a kicker from the UFL who he believes needs a shot in the NFL immediately.
Gregg Williams went on the Come Get Some Show and shouted out Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates, saying “He is a big-time kicker. He needs a shot in the NFL. He’s got that kind of a leg.”
Michigan Panthers @TheUFL Kicker Jake Bates is a BEAST.
“He is a big-time kicker. He NEEDS a shot in the NFL. He’s got that kind of a leg.”
–@CoachGreggSB44 pic.twitter.com/8YI3KEkunA
— COME GET SOME (@ComeGetSomeShow) May 10, 2024
Bates is 24 years old and briefly signed with the Houston Texans in the 2023 offseason as an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas, though he was cut after just two weeks.
He is 12 for 14 kicking so far in the UFL and has the league record for longest field goal at 64 yards, while also hitting from 60 and 62 yards.
Anyone who can hit from 64 yards deserves a look in the NFL, and if he keeps producing, there’s little doubt the NFL will take notice sooner rather than later.
NFL teams cycle through kickers at the drop of a hat, as half the league is typically one bad game away from being cut.
Shockingly, Bates’ limited experience as a kicker is likely why he went undrafted, as he only handled kickoffs in college and played two seasons of college soccer before even touching the gridiron.
The 64-yarder was not only the second-longest recorded field goal in professional football history behind Justin Tucker’s 66-yarder, but it was also the first in-game field goal of Bates’ life.
Not bad for a first kick.
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