Leslie Michael Jasper (born October 8, 1986) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for Bethel University, a position he has held since 2019. Jasper was selected by the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL) in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL draft.[1] He played college football at Bethel as a defensive tackle and offensive guard. Jasper, during his college career, was extremely large even by defensive tackle standards, weighing approximately 450 pounds; he reduced his weight to 375 pounds at the behest of Bills coach Chan Gailey. As of the 2023 NFL draft, Jasper remains the most recent NFL draft selection from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
 Jasper with the Buffalo Bills in 2011 | |
| Bethel Wildcats | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Head coach |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 8, 1986 Mount Juliet, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 375 lb (170 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Mount Juliet |
| College: | Bethel (TN) |
| NFL draft: | 2011 / round: 7 / pick: 245 |
| Career history | |
| As a player: | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| As a coach: | |
| |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | 40–19 (.678) |
| Postseason: | 1–2 (.333) |
| Career: | 41–21 (.661) |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Professional career
editBuffalo Bills
editJasper was released prior to the start of the 2011 season in final cuts and was placed on the practice squad. The Bills activated Jasper on December 27, 2011 when tight end Mike Caussin was placed on the injured reserve list.[2] He was waived again by the Bills on August 13, 2012.
Tennessee Titans
editJasper was signed by the Tennessee Titans on August 15, 2012 but was waived shortly thereafter.
Omaha Nighthawks
editThe Nighthawks signed Jasper in September 2012, where he played both ways as a starter on the offensive line and as a nose tackle in the goal-line package on 3rd and 1 situations.
New York Giants
editThe Giants signed Jasper to a future contract for 2013. On August 25, 2013, he was cut by the Giants.[3]
Carolina Panthers
editThe Panthers signed Jasper to their practice squad on September 11, 2013 and then signed him as a free agent on January 14, 2014.[4]
Coaching career
editFrom 2016 to 2018, Jasper was the offensive line coach at his alma mater, Bethel University.[5] On January 24, 2019, he was named Bethel's head football coach.[6]
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | NAIA Coaches'# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel Wildcats (Mid-South Conference) (2019–present) | |||||||||
| 2019 | Bethel | 5–6 | 2–5 | T–6th (Bluegrass) | |||||
| 2020–21 | Bethel | 3–4 | 3–4 | T–4th (Bluegrass) | |||||
| 2021 | Bethel | 7–4 | 4–3 | T–3th (Bluegrass) | |||||
| 2022 | Bethel | 11–1 | 8–0 | 1st | L NAIA First Round | 4 | |||
| 2023 | Bethel | 11–2 | 5–1 | 2nd (Kessinger) | L NAIA Quarterfinal | 7 | |||
| 2024 | Bethel | 4–4 | 0–2 | (Kessinger) | |||||
| Bethel: | 41–21 | 22–15 | |||||||
| Total: | 41–21 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ Jasper drafted by the Bills
- ^ "Bills promote OL Jasper; TE Caussin to I-R". Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
- ^ Eisen, Michael (August 26, 2013). "LB Aaron Curry among players released". Giants.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- ^ "Carolina Panthers: Michael Jasper". Panthers.com. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
- ^ "Bethel University - 2016 Football Coaches". www.bethelathletics.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016.
- ^ "Bethel hires Mike Jasper as new head football coach". WBBJ TV. January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
External links
edit- Bethel coaching profile
- Bethel playing profile
- Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Pro Football Reference