Young athlete looks to ex-pro uncle Tommy Bohanon for inspiration on and off the gridiron

When Jeffrey Yates was in eighth grade he went to his uncle’s football camp for the first time and he was hooked.

“Looking at all the junior coaches and the coaches they inspired me to want to play,” Yates said.

Jeffrey started playing football and junior coaching at his uncle’s camp every summer.

Jeffrey’s uncle is Tommy Bohanon, the president of the Tommy Bohanon Foundation that puts on the youth football camp every year.

Bohanon spent seven seasons in the NFL after graduating from North Fort Myers High.

His nephew Jeffrey was the first in the family to go to Riverdale.

“I always wanted to recreate his legacy at a different school.”

Jeffrey played on the Raiders offensive line for four years always looking up to his uncle’s next play mentality on and off the gridiron, especially after tearing his ACL twice.

“There is more to life than just sports because once you’re done with your football career you have to move on and have another career ready to go.”

That’s the message he wants to give kids in his fourth year as a junior coach at the youth football camp.

“For them to fully understand in sports and in school they need to listen to their teachers and their coaches so that they can learn the skills that they need to. It’s always fun to come help out my uncle and help these kids understand that there’s more than just sports to life.”

Saturday Jeffrey will be a junior coach at his uncle’s camp and in the fall he’ll be a student at Florida Atlantic University pursuing his new career, outside of football.

The eighth annual Tommy Bohanon Foundation Youth Football Camp is Saturday morning at North Fort Myers High School.