Justin Harper (American football)

Justin Harper (born February 24, 1985) is an American college football coach and former professional Canadian football wide receiver. He is currently the tight ends coach at Old Dominion University. Before this, he served as the interim head coach at Virginia State University and was the wide receivers coach at Towson University in Towson, Maryland.[1] His last professional stint was as a member of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia Tech.

Justin Harper
refer to caption
Harper at M&T Bank Stadium in August 2011.
No. 83
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1985-02-24) February 24, 1985
Catawba, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Bandys
(Catawba, North Carolina)
College:Virginia Tech
NFL Draft:2008 / Round: 7 / Pick: 215
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
CFL status:Import
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Harper played football at Bandys High School, where he led his team to the state championship game as a senior, playing both wide receiver and defensive back. He was recruited by Winthrop University to play basketball, but decided late in his senior season to try to become a Division I football player. After graduating, he attended Hargrave Military Academy. He then was recruited by Virginia Tech.

College career

Harper appeared in 51 games during his four-year career at Virginia Tech, finishing with 83 catches for 1,338 yards, a 16.1 per-catch average, and nine touchdowns. Harper's best game probably came in his final collegiate contest when he caught four passes for 64 yards (including a 20-yard touchdown), and scored on an 84-yard punt return in the 2008 Orange Bowl against the University of Kansas.

As a senior in 2007, Harper played wide receiver alongside Eddie Royal and Josh Morgan and recorded career highs with 41 catches, 635 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions. Together, Harper, Royal and Morgan combined for 120 catches during their final season at Virginia Tech. As a junior in 2006, Harper finished fourth on the team in receptions with 21 catches for 324 yards and one touchdown. During his sophomore season, he posted 16 catches for 295 yards and one touchdown, which came in the Hokies' 35-24 Gator Bowl victory over Louisville. As a freshman in 2004, he caught five passes for 84 yards and a touchdown.

Professional career

NFL

Harper was drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.[2] He would continue as a member of the Ravens for the next three seasons only receiving limited playing time during the preseason. Justin Harper was released prior to the start of the 2011 NFL season.

CFL

On March 13, 2012 the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League announced that they had signed Harper to a contract.[3] On January 24, 2013 Harper was traded to the BC Lions along with Saskatchewan's third round pick in the 2014 CFL Draft in exchange for slotback Geroy Simon.[4] On May 24, 2013, a 3 days after the Lions signed Emmanuel Arceneaux, Harper was released.[5]

References
  1. "@Justin_Harpo" on Twitter
  2. "2008 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  3. "Riders add Harper and Wynn to offence". Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  4. "Lions trade Simon to Roughriders for Harper, third-round pick". www.tsn.ca. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013.
  5. "Released by BC Lions". Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
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