Connor Jessop (born December 27, 1993) is a former American football quarterback. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

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 Broad Run High School is a public secondary school in Ashburn, an unincorporated area in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. Broad Run is part of the Loudoun County Public Schools system (LCPS). It was ranked as the #1 Best Public High Scho ...

Ashburn, Virginia Ashburn is a census-designated place (CDP) in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, its population was 43,511, up from 3,393 twenty years earlier. It is northwest of Washington, D.C., and part of the Washingt ...

, and he led the Spartans to a state championship during his sophomore season.

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. 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 Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan, Allendale, Michigan. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on approximately ...

. 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 West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a public historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Colored Institute, it is one of the original 19 land-grant colleges and universities e ...

. 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 The Mountain East Conference (MEC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level and officially began competition on September 1, 2013. It consists of 12 schools, mo ...

Offensive Player of the Week. Jessop became the Rams' full-time starter in the 2017 season, during which he threw for 40 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. He was named the Mountain East Conference Offensive Player of the Week four times during the season. 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. He was named a Division II All-American. Jessop served as an assistant coach with Shepherd prior to the 2018 season.

Professional career

Ahead of the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...

, Jessop participated in a Pro Day at West Virginia University, where he performed well in the broad jump and

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

Alliance of American Football

In August 2018, Jessop was signed by the Phoenix franchise of the

Alliance of American Football The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan are ...

to be a part of the team's 2019 roster.

Washington Redskins

Though he was not selected in the NFL Draft, Jessop was invited by the Washington Redskins to attend their rookie mini-camp. 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. He was waived on September 1, 2018.

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 Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with th ...

and Tony Romo were among his favorite quarterbacks to watch.

References

External links

Shepherd Rams bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jessop, Connor Living people 1993 births Sportspeople from Ashburn, Virginia Players of American football from Virginia American football quarterbacks Shepherd Rams football players Arizona Hotshots players Washington Redskins players Baltimore Brigade players