UFL star and Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates has taken the world by storm in his first season after making 12-of-14 field goal attempts, including a whopping three from 60-plus yards, and five in total from 50-plus.
Bates' superhuman abilities were on full display last week, when he made 5-of-5 field goals, including another from 60 yards and then then game-winner in the closing seconds.
Bates and the Panthers will be back in action on Sunday, May 12, when they travel to take on the D.C. Defenders at Audi Field. The game will be broadcast on ESPN at noon ET.
This will be Bates' third game away from Ford Field, where he's made 11 of his 12 field goals. It will also be his third game in an outside venue. Both of his misses came outdoors in Week 5, although weather conditions weren't good in that contest.
As you'd expect, Bates is already drawing interest from NFL teams, with the Detroit Lions reportedly being among them. However, the kicker is not allowed to talk or sign with an NFL team until after the season, something he touched on recently.
"That's not true, I can't talk to them," Bates said. "I don't know where that comes from, but no, I can't. I guess we're under contract, we can't talk to anybody. So, that'll come in the future, hopefully, but that's not happening right now."
Bates' NFL experience is limited to cups of coffee with the Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but that figures to change once the UFL season comes to an end in June.