T.J. Yates, a Pope graduate from the class of 2006, makes his first NFL start on Sunday for the Houston Texans against the Falcons. The Pope alumnus played both basketball and football for the Greyhounds and during his junior season, he even took some time away from the gridiron to hone his basketball skills. Despite scoring 1,163 career points as a four-year starter on the court, enough for fifth all-time in school history, Yates decided to play under the lights again on Friday nights.
The decision turned out for the better as Yates ended up passing for 2,305 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior. This resulted in him receiving All-Region 6-AAAAA honors and earning the Cobb County Touchdown Club’s Offensive Player of the Year. His stellar performance resulted in a scholarship from the University of North Carolina, which he accepted in favor of multiple basketball scholarship offers.
In Chapel Hill, Yates continued to impress and shred the record books as a four-year starter. He set 37 school records including the record for single-game, season and career passing completions and yards as a Tar Heel; over his career, he compiled 9,377 passing yards.
His senior year marked his biggest growth, as he became the first UNC quarterback to throw for over 3,000 yards in a single season – he threw for 3,418 yards to be exact. Another highlight for the gunslinger in his final collegiate season occurred during the Music City Bowl when he guided the Tar Heels to an epic double-overtime victory over Tennessee. In part to his play on the field, Yates earned the 2010-11 Tar Heel of the Year award for all athletics.
In May, the Houston Texans selected Yates in the fifth round of the NFL Draft to play as the third string quarterback behind Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart. Even when the Texans drafted him they knew they picked a talented kid.
“He just plays the game fast,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak told the Houston Chronicle. “He’s shown me all of the characteristics you want to see in this league. He can move. He has a good arm. But the bottom line is this is the first reps the kid’s gotten.”
Because both Schuab and Leinart went down with season ending injuries, Yates will guide the Texans with the start on Sunday against the team that he grew up watching.
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool [to start in the NFL],” Yates told the AJC. “I try not to think too much about it. I’m trying to stay as focused as possible. I’m trying to keep my head out of all the other stuff. It can do nothing but affect my play on the field. Tunnel vision.”
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