Josh Jasper

{{Short description|American gridiron football player (born 1987)}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Josh Jasper

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| current_team =

| number =

| position = Placekicker

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1987|11|26|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 11

| weight_lbs = 170

| high_school = Ridgeway (Memphis)

| college = LSU

| undraftedyear = 2011

| pastteams =

Tampa Bay Buccaneers ({{NFL Year|2011}})*
Toronto Argonauts ({{CFL Year|2012}})*
New Orleans VooDoo ({{AFL Year|2014}})
Toronto Argonauts ({{CFL Year|2014}})*
Memphis Express ({{AAF Year|2019}})

| status =

| highlights =

| aflstatseason =

| aflstatlabel1 = FG made

| aflstatvalue1 = 1

| aflstatlabel2 = FG att

| aflstatvalue2 = 2

| aflstatlabel3 = PAT made

| aflstatvalue3 = 10

| aflstatlabel4 = PAT att

| aflstatvalue4 = 16

| aflstatlabel5 = Tackles

| aflstatvalue5 = 2

| afl = 12908

}}

Joshua Norwood Jasper (born November 26, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL).

He set the Tennessee state record for career high school field goals, with 44, and his longest field goal was 54 yards. In 2010, he was a consensus All-American placekicker playing college football for the LSU Tigers in his senior year, after leading the nation with 28 field goals. He had the best placekicking percentage in LSU history as of 2011. In July 2011, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him as a free agent.

Early years

Jasper was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He played football and soccer at Ridgeway High School in Memphis.{{Cite web |last=Ali Manion |date=October 16, 2010 |title=Cover Story: Senior Placekicker Josh Jasper |url=http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=205011672 |access-date=March 3, 2011 |publisher=LSUsports.net |archive-date=October 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024183933/http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=205011672 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite news |last=Rachel Whittaker |title=Football: Josh Jasper takes over as starting kicker in 2009 season |url=http://www.lsureveille.com/sports/football-john-jasper-takes-over-as-starting-kicker-in-2009-season-1.2001215 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904122017/http://www.lsureveille.com/sports/football-john-jasper-takes-over-as-starting-kicker-in-2009-season-1.2001215 |archive-date=September 4, 2012 |access-date=March 4, 2011 |publisher=The Daily Reveille}} Originally, he was a quarterback and wide receiver, before moving over to kicker for his junior and senior years.{{Cite news |last=Rachel Whittaker |date=October 16, 2009 |title=Football: Josh Jasper takes over as starting kicker in 2009 season |url=http://www.lsureveille.com/sports/football-josh-jasper-takes-over-as-starting-kicker-in-2009-season-1.2001215 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713235250/http://www.lsureveille.com/sports/football-josh-jasper-takes-over-as-starting-kicker-in-2009-season-1.2001215 |archive-date=July 13, 2011 |access-date=March 4, 2011 |publisher=The Daily Reveille}} He was rated the No. 12 kicker in the U.S. by Scout.com as a senior. His longest field goal as a high schooler was 54 yards{{Cite web |last=Football |title=Josh Jasper Bio |url=http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=785340 |access-date=March 3, 2011 |publisher=LSUsports.net |archive-date=May 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525063735/http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=785340 |url-status=dead }} and he set the state's record for total career field goals, with 44.

College career

Jasper attended Louisiana State University, where he played for coach Les Miles's LSU Tigers football team from 2007 to 2010. He completed 47 of 56 field goal attempts as a Tiger (83.9%), the best percentage in team history, and the second best in Southeastern Conference (SEC) history.

During his junior season in 2009, he tied for the third-longest field goal in LSU history, at 52 yards.{{Cite web |last=Glenn Guilbeau |date=September 20, 2009 |title=LSU Notes: Jasper kicks 52-yard field goal |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/shreveporttimes/access/1862564911.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+20%2C+2009&author=Glenn+Guilbeau&pub=The+Times&desc=LSU+Notes%3A+Jasper+kicks+52-yard+field+goal&pqatl=google |access-date=March 3, 2011 |publisher=The Shreveport Times |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629043720/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/shreveporttimes/access/1862564911.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+20,+2009&author=Glenn+Guilbeau&pub=The+Times&desc=LSU+Notes:+Jasper+kicks+52-yard+field+goal&pqatl=google |url-status=dead }} In a spring game, he kicked a 57-yard field goal. He also set a school record in September 2010 with five field goals in one game, against Mississippi State, while tying the school record of 17 kicking points in one game.{{Cite web |date=September 20, 2010 |title=LSU football players Drake Nevis, Josh Jasper win SEC weekly awards |url=http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2010/09/nevis_jasper_named_players_of.html |access-date=March 3, 2011 |publisher=NOLA.com}}{{Cite web |last=Michael DeMocker |title=Josh Jasper sets LSU record with five field goals |url=http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2010/09/josh_jasper_sets_lsu_record_wi.html |access-date=March 3, 2011 |publisher=The Times-Picayune}}

During his senior season in 2010, he led the country with twenty-eight field goals. He was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American placekicker, after receiving first-team honors from the Football Writers Association of America and Sporting News.{{Cite web |date=September 21, 2006 |title=Josh Jasper | LSU, K : 2011 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile |url=http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=69192&draftyear=2011&genpos=K |access-date=March 3, 2011 |publisher=NFL Draft Scout}}{{Cite web |date=February 17, 2011 |title=LSU assistant Robinson hired as UNC defensive line coach |url=http://www.neworleans.com/sports/lsu/561043-lsu-assistant-robinson-hired-as-unc-defensive-line-coach.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221053402/http://www.neworleans.com/sports/lsu/561043-lsu-assistant-robinson-hired-as-unc-defensive-line-coach.html |archive-date=February 21, 2011 |access-date=March 3, 2011 |publisher=Neworleans.com}}{{Cite web |title=Josh Jasper College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/josh-jasper-1.html |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=College Football at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}} In addition to kicking field goals, he punted as LSU's "pooch punter", kicked kickoffs, and rushed a handful of times for first downs.{{Cite news |last=Ron Higgins |date=December 2, 2010 |title=Can't stop an Auburn sweep |url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/dec/02/cant-stop-an-auburn-sweep/?print=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017180908/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/dec/02/cant-stop-an-auburn-sweep/?print=1 |archive-date=October 17, 2012 |access-date=March 11, 2016 |publisher=Memphis Commercial Appeal}} He was also a first-team All-SEC selection, the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week (vs. Mississippi State, vs. Ole Miss), and the Lou Groza Award Star of the Week (vs. Mississippi State, vs. Alabama, vs. UL-Monroe).{{Cite web |last=Michael DeMocker |date=November 15, 2010 |title=LSU kicker Josh Jasper was named Lou Groza Star of the Week |url=http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2010/11/lsu_kicker_josh_jasper_was_nam.html |access-date=March 3, 2011 |publisher=The Times-Picayune}} He capped his career by playing in the 2011 Senior Bowl.{{Cite news |date=January 27, 2011 |title=Sheppard, Jasper love their Senior Bowl surroundings |url=http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20110127/SPORTS0202/101270341/Sheppard-Jasper-love-their-Senior-Bowl-surroundings |access-date=March 4, 2011 |publisher=Shreveport Times}}{{Cite news |title=FSU's Ponder uses Senior Bowl to make statement |url=http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20110130/FSU03/101300339/FSU-s-Ponder-uses-Senior-Bowl-to-make-statement |access-date=March 4, 2011}}

Professional career

Despite his high school and college success, prognosticators were uncertain whether Jasper would be drafted in the April 2011 NFL draft, as in the prior five years just nine kickers were drafted.{{Cite news |last=Mark Clements |title=Football: Peterson and other Tigers make good impressions in 2011 NFL Combine |url=http://www.lsureveille.com/mobile/sports/football-peterson-and-other-tigers-make-good-impressions-in-2011-nfl-combine-1.2501785 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713235256/http://www.lsureveille.com/mobile/sports/football-peterson-and-other-tigers-make-good-impressions-in-2011-nfl-combine-1.2501785 |archive-date=July 13, 2011 |access-date=March 4, 2011 |publisher=The Daily Reveille}} NFL draft analyst Mike Detillier opined that he might be a later-round draftee.

He was not picked in the draft.{{Cite web |title=How Did LSU Players Fare In The Draft? |url=http://www.wwl.com/How-did-LSU-players-fare-in-the-Draft-/9738559 |access-date=May 14, 2011 |publisher=WWL}}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} He had to wait until the NFL lockout ended before he could sign with a team as a free agent.{{Cite news |last=Michael Lambert |date=May 1, 2011 |title=Toliver, Jasper left out as six former Tigers taken in draft |url=http://www.lsunow.com/sports/football/toliver-jasper-left-out-as-six-former-tigers-taken-in/article_fdf22c2b-8c63-53a7-a724-6a53788754e9.html |access-date=March 11, 2016 |publisher=The Daily Reveille}}

=Tampa Bay Buccaneers=

On July 26, 2011, Jasper said he had agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a rookie free agent deal.{{Cite news |last=Michael DeMocker/The Times-Picayune |title=Tampa Bay agrees to terms with LSU PK Josh Jasper |url=http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2011/07/tampa_bay_agrees_to_terms_with.html |access-date=July 27, 2011 |publisher=NOLA.com}} He was released on August 5.

=Toronto Argonauts=

On October 4, 2012, Jasper was signed by the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. He was released by the team on October 17, 2012.

=New Orleans VooDoo=

On November 19, 2013, Jasper was assigned to the New Orleans VooDoo of the Arena Football League.{{Cite web |date=November 22, 2013 |title=New Orleans VooDoo signs former LSU kicker Josh Jasper |url=http://theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/7636877-123/new-orleans-voodoo-signs-former |access-date=November 22, 2013 |website=www.theadvocate.com |publisher=Capital City Press LLC |archive-date=April 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406233652/http://theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/7636877-123/new-orleans-voodoo-signs-former |url-status=dead }}

=Memphis Express=

On August 21, 2018, Jasper signed with the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football.{{Cite web |last=Dixon |first=Shea |date=August 21, 2018 |title=Six former LSU players sign with Memphis |url=https://247sports.com/college/lsu/Article/LSU-Tigers-football-former-players-sign-with-Memphis-AAF-team-120890868/ |access-date=February 6, 2019 |publisher=247Sports.com}} He was waived on February 27, 2019.

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20140327024424/http://argonauts.ca/roster/show/id/5559 Toronto Argonauts bio]
[http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=785340 LSU Tigers bio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525063735/http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=785340 |date=May 25, 2011 }}

{{2010 NCAA Division I FBS College Football Consensus All-Americans}}

Category:1987 births

Category:Living people

Category:All-American college football players

Category:American football placekickers

Category:LSU Tigers football players

Category:Memphis Express (American football) players

Category:New Orleans VooDoo players

Category:Players of American football from Memphis, Tennessee

Category:Tampa Bay Buccaneers players