Gavin Heslop (born November 13, 1997) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

who is a free agent. Heslop 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 Stony Brook.

Early life

Heslop was born in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...

. He attended

Archbishop Stepinac High School Archbishop Stepinac High School is an American all-boys' Roman Catholic high school in White Plains, New York. It was operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York until the 2009–2010 school year, when it became independent of the ...

White Plains, New York (Always Faithful) , image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png , seal_link = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State , su ...

, the same high school as his future college teammates including quarterback Tyquell Fields and cornerback TJ Morrison. Heslop was named to the NYSSWA First-team All-New York State, as well as the

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All-New York team. Heslop played a large role in Stepinac's 2014 CHSFL AAA championship team, the school's first since 1955, recording 60 tackles, three interceptions and three sacks a senior while rushing for 440 yards and six touchdowns. In 2014, Heslop also had a 68-yard

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

returned for a touchdown to help Stepinac defeat rival St. Anthony's High School for the first time since 1983.

College career

Heslop redshirted during the 2015 season. During his freshman season in 2016, he played in eight games and recorded 13 total tackles. In his college debut on September 1 against No. 19

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, Heslop blocked a punt in the fourth quarter that was returned for a touchdown, giving Stony Brook the 13–9 victory. Heslop also recorded six tackles in a 42–14 upset of No. 2

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

. In his 2017 sophomore season, Heslop started all 13 games at cornerback. He set career highs with 72 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss. Heslop recorded his first career sack and forced fumble on October 14 against No. 12

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. Heslop recorded a career-high 12 tackles in a 59–29 victory over Lehigh in the first round of the 2017 FCS Playoffs. The following week against

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

in the second round, Heslop recorded another 10 tackles in a 26–7 loss. Heslop again started all 12 games at cornerback as a junior in 2018. He was named to the Second-team All-

Colonial Athletic Association The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Most of its members are public universi ...

(CAA) after a season with 59 tackles, 38 of which being solo tackles. On September 22 against Richmond, Heslop recovered a fumble and returned it 87 yards for a touchdown. It was Heslop's first career touchdown and Stony Brook's first fumble recovery for a touchdown since 2016. Prior to his senior season, Heslop was named one of three Stony Brook team captains. Heslop started all 12 games in 2019, ending his Stony Brook career having started 37 consecutive games. He was named to the Third-team All-CAA with 52 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, two blocked kicks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one fumble recovery for a touchdown.

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks

2020

Heslop signed with the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

following the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He missed most of training camp with an injury. He was waived during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, and signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

the next day. Heslop was elevated to the active roster on October 3 for the team's week 4 game against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. On January 11, 2021, Heslop signed a reserve/futures contract with the Seahawks.

2021

In the first week of preseason during the 2021 season, Heslop played 33 snaps, including 12 on special teams. He was waived on August 31, 2021 and re-signed to the practice squad. Heslop was elevated to the active roster on November 20 and made his NFL debut on November 21 against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

, playing four snaps on special teams. On ''

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'' against the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

on November 29, Heslop recovered an onside kick with Seattle down 17–15, but the play was called back due to an illegal formation penalty on another Seahawks player. He was signed to the active roster on December 10 after

Jamal Adams Jamal Lee Adams (born October 17, 1995) is an American football strong safety for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU, and was drafted sixth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by the New York ...

was ruled out for the season. On December 12 against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

, Heslop suffered a broken

fibula The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is ...

and

tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

in the final minute of the game after coming in to take his first career regular season defensive snaps. He remained in Houston to receive surgery the next day, which head coach

Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head football coach at USC Troja ...

described as "successful". He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

on December 15.

New York Giants

On July 22, 2022, the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

signed Heslop. He was released on August 16.

Carolina Panthers

On October 19, 2022, the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

signed Heslop to their practice squad.

Cleveland Browns

On August 5, 2023, Heslop signed with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

. He was waived on August 27.

Houston Roughnecks

On October 24, 2023, Heslop signed with the

Houston Roughnecks The Houston Roughnecks are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL founded by Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment and plays its home games at TDECU Stadium. History ...

of the

XFL XFL may refer to: Sports * XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001 * XFL (2020), a professional American football league Vehicles * Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...

. The Roughnecks brand was transferred to the

Houston Gamblers The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons. They were noteworthy for introducing ...

when the XFL and

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

merged to create the United Football League (UFL).

San Antonio Brahmas

On January 19, 2024, Heslop signed with the

San Antonio Brahmas The San Antonio Brahmas are a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas. The team is an owned-and-operated member of the XFL, owned by RedBird Capital, Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia's Alpha Acquico, LLC. History The XFL ...

of the UFL. He was placed on Injured reserve on March 22, 2024. He was activated on April 30, 2024. He was released on May 14.

Personal life

Heslop is cousins with former NFL player Doug Hogue, who played for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

and the

from 2011 to 2012.

References

External links

Seattle Seahawks bioStony Brook Seawolves bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heslop, Gavin 1997 births Living people American football cornerbacks New York Giants players Seattle Seahawks players Sportspeople from Yonkers, New York Players of American football from Westchester County, New York Stony Brook Seawolves football players Archbishop Stepinac High School alumni Carolina Panthers players Cleveland Browns players Houston Roughnecks players San Antonio Brahmas players