Connor Jessop

This article is about the American football player. For the Canadian actor, see Connor Jessup.

Connor Jessop
Personal information
Born: (1993-12-27) December 27, 1993 (age 30)
Ashburn, Virginia
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Broad Run (Ashburn, Virginia)
College:
Undrafted:2018
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • MEC Offensive Player of the Year (2017)
  • NCAA Division II All-American (2017)

Connor Jessop (born December 27, 1993) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Shepherd University. He signed with the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2018.

High school career

Jessop attended Broad Run High School in Ashburn, Virginia, and he led the Spartans to a state championship during his sophomore season.[1]

College career

Jessop was offered a scholarship to play football at the University of Richmond; however, he declined the school's invitation and joined his favorite college team, the Virginia Tech Hokies, as a walk-on.[2]

He transferred from Virginia Tech to Shepherd University in 2015. As a backup quarterback, he was forced into action in the NCAA Division II semifinals when Shepherd's starting quarterback, Jeff Ziemba, was injured in the first quarter. Jessop led the Rams to a 34–32 victory over Grand Valley State.[3]

Jessop's first start for the Rams came on October 15, 2016, when he accounted for seven touchdowns (five passing, two rushing) in a 70–24 win over West Virginia State.[4] He set a school record in the game by passing for 480 yards, and the five touchdown passes tied a record; he was named the Mountain East Conference Offensive Player of the Week.[5]

Jessop became the Rams' full-time starter in the 2017 season, during which he threw for 40 touchdowns and just nine interceptions.[2] He was named the Mountain East Conference Offensive Player of the Week four times during the season.[6] At season's end, he was named the MEC Offensive Player of the Year, and he finished fourth in voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy.[7] He was named a Division II All-American.[8]

Jessop served as an assistant coach with Shepherd prior to the 2018 season.[9]

Professional career

Ahead of the 2018 NFL draft, Jessop participated in a Pro Day at West Virginia University, where he performed well in the broad jump and 40-yard dash.[10]

Alliance of American Football

In August 2018, Jessop was signed by the Phoenix franchise of the Alliance of American Football to be a part of the team's 2019 roster.[11]

Washington Redskins

Though he was not selected in the NFL Draft, Jessop was invited by the Washington Redskins to attend their rookie mini-camp.[12] He was signed by the Redskins on August 26, 2018 after reserve quarterback Colt McCoy was injured, to serve as the backup quarterback during the team's final preseason game.[13][14] He was waived on September 1, 2018.[15]

Baltimore Brigade

On April 6, 2019, Jessop was assigned to the Baltimore Brigade.

Personal life

Jessop's favorite football team growing up was the Dallas Cowboys. He stated that Peyton Manning and Tony Romo were among his favorite quarterbacks to watch.[16]

References

  1. ^ Tenorio, Paul (December 7, 2011). "Broad Run QB Connor Jessop still looking for an offer". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Frank, Noah (April 24, 2018). "Local QB hopes to be late-round sleeper in NFL Draft". WTOP. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  3. ^ "Grand Valley State falls, 34-32, in D-II semifinal". Detroit Free Press. December 12, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  4. ^ Kozlowski, Rick (October 17, 2016). "Shepherd backup QB Jessop makes most of opportunity". The Journal. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  5. ^ "Connor Jessop - 2017 Football". Shepherd Rams. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  6. ^ "MEC Announces Football Awards". Mountain East Conference. November 14, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  7. ^ "Jessop Finishes Fourth in Harlon Hill Award Balloting". Mountain East Conference. December 14, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  8. ^ "Luis Perez and Marcus Martin highlight D2Football.com All-Americans". D2Football.com. January 5, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  9. ^ Kozlowski, Rick (August 27, 2018). "Grantham, Jessop experience 'pro days': Redskins sign ex-Ram quarterback". The Journal. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  10. ^ Pazzalia, Casey (April 20, 2018). "Jessop aims to make 'legitimate run' at playing pro football". Loudoun Times-Mirror. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  11. ^ "Former ASU, Arizona Cardinals players join Alliance of American football team in Phoenix". The Arizona Republic. August 17, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  12. ^ "Four Rams get looks from NFL". The Journal. April 30, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  13. ^ Homler, Ryan (August 28, 2018). "Connor Jessop Doesn't Have To Travel Far For First NFL Experience". Redskins.com. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  14. ^ Paras, Matthew (August 27, 2018). "Redskins add quarterback with McCoy hurting". The Washington Times. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  15. ^ "9/1: Redskins Make Roster Moves". Redskins.com. September 1, 2018. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  16. ^ Cavadi, Wayne (September 5, 2017). "How watermelon Sour Patch Kids made Shepherd's Connor Jessop DII football's QB of the week". NCAA.com. Retrieved May 5, 2018.