Taylor Jonathan Yates (born May 28, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who is currently the wide receivers coach for the Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at North Carolina and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills.
Yates played in high-league football. He continued playing for his freshman high school team and into the 2003 season until moving his focus to basketball. Yates returned in 2005, where he played quarterback and punter for Pope High School, in the north Atlanta suburb of Marietta, where he earned Atlanta Metro First-Team All-Area honors.
Yates played quarterback for the North Carolina Tar Heels at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2006 to 2010. In the 2006 season, he redshirted. In the 2007 season, he finished with 2,655 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. In the 2008 season, he suffered an ankle injury and had to miss some time. Overall, he finished with 1,168 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and four interceptions. In the 2009 season, he finished with 2,136 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. In the 2010 season, he finished with 3,418 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Yates held school records for total career passing yards and single-season passing yards, breaking previous records set by Darian Durant, until he was passed by Tar Heel quarterbacks Sam Howell (total passing yards) and Mitch Trubisky (single-season). During his time in Chapel Hill, Yates was a member of the Alpha Tau chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

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