Vincent Testaverde Jr.

Vincent Testaverde Jr. (born July 20, 1996) is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was most recently a member of the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The son of Vinny Testaverde, he played college football at Texas Tech, Miami and Albany and was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He has also been a member of the Tampa Bay Vipers, BC Lions, Arizona Rattlers and Albany Empire.

Vincent Testaverde Jr.
Personal information
Born: (1996-07-20) July 20, 1996
Tampa, Florida
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Jesuit (FL)
College:Texas Tech, Miami, Albany
Position:Quarterback
Undrafted:2019
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Player stats at CFL.ca

Early life and education

The son of Vinny Testaverde,[1] he was born on July 20, 1996, in Tampa, Florida.[2] He grew up a basketball player and attended Jesuit High School, playing the sport there until making the switch to football as a junior.[3] He became the starting quarterback eight games into the season, being coached by his father (who was serving as quarterbacks coach), and remained starter as a senior while throwing for 1,015 yards and nine touchdowns.[4]

After his graduation from Jesuit, Testaverde joined the football team at Texas Tech University as a walk-on.[5] He appeared in only one game for them, playing in their 34–13 loss to Texas after injuries to Patrick Mahomes and Davis Webb while completing 15 of 26 passes for 116 yards.[6][7] After the season, he transferred to his father's alma mater, the University of Miami.[8][9]

Testaverde sat out the 2015 season with Miami as a redshirt.[10] He battled for a backup position in 2016 but ended up only being a practice squad member.[11][12] He left the program in August 2017.[13][14] Testaverde eventually transferred to the University at Albany, SUNY.[15] Due to the NCAA transfer rules, he had to sit out the season, and spent the year as a member of the scout team.[4] In 2018, he was named the team's starting quarterback for the season.[16] Testaverde started a total of eight games on the year and recorded 1,714 passing yards and 11 touchdowns.[17]

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After going unselected in the 2019 NFL Draft, Testaverde was invited to the rookie tryout camp of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his performance there led to a contract.[18] He was released in training camp but ended up being re-signed after an injury to backup Blaine Gabbert.[18] He made his preseason debut in the finale against the Dallas Cowboys, playing most of the game and helping them to a 17–15 win.[19] He was released afterwards.[20]

Tampa Bay Vipers

Testaverde was selected in the 2020 XFL Open Draft by the Tampa Bay Vipers.[21] He spent minicamp with them in December 2019 but did not make the team.[10]

BC Lions

He was signed by the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in February 2020.[10] However, the season was cancelled due to COVID-19.[22]

Indoor football

Testaverde was signed by the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League (IFL) in April 2021.[7][23] He suffered an injury in practice early during the season and spent the year being taught by eventual league MVP Drew Powell.[24] He was re-signed for the 2022 season.[24] Testaverde was signed by the Albany Empire of the National Arena League (NAL) for the 2023 season.[17]

Edmonton Elks

However, before the NAL season started, Testaverde joined the Edmonton Elks in the CFL in February 2023.[25] He was released by the club on March 29.[26]

References
  1. Bumbaca, Chris (July 29, 2019). "Vinny Testaverde's son, Vincent, signs deal with Tampa Bay Buccaneers". USA Today.
  2. "Vincent Testaverde Jr". Canadian Football League.
  3. Chirinos, Christy Cabrera (March 4, 2015). "Another Testaverde learning ropes at UM". The Orlando Sentinel. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. Franchuk, Jason (October 12, 2017). "Vincent Testaverde out to make his own name with UAlbany". Times Union.
  5. Goodbread, Chase (December 27, 2014). "Vincent Testaverde transferring out of Texas Tech". National Football League.
  6. "Big 12 Quarterback: Texas Tech's Vincent Testaverde". The Daily Oklahoman. November 8, 2014. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  7. Obert, Richard (April 6, 2021). "Arizona Rattlers sign QB Vincent Testaverde Jr., son of former NFL quarterback". The Arizona Republic.
  8. Magelssen, Tommy (January 7, 2015). "Report: Ex-Texas Tech QB Vincent Testaverde heading to famous father's alma mater". The Dallas Morning News.
  9. "Miami welcomes new Testaverde". Port Charlotte Sun. Associated Press. January 8, 2015. p. A19 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  10. "Official: Lions sign quarterbacks Vincent Testaverde Jr. and William Arndt". 3DownNation.com. January 30, 2020.
  11. Chirinos, Christy Cabrera (August 25, 2016). "Testaverde hopes to forge his own path". The Orlando Sentinel. p. C4 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  12. Encina, Eduardo A. (May 10, 2019). "Familiar name, different game: Vincent Testaverde, Jr. looking to make a name for himself in Bucs rookie minicamp". Tampa Bay Times.
  13. "Testaverde leaves Miami". The Independent-Record. TNS. August 25, 2017. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  14. Chiari, Mike (August 24, 2017). "Vinny Testaverde's Son, Vincent, to Transfer Out of Miami's Football Program". Bleacher Report.
  15. Kelly, Michael (September 1, 2017). "Vinny Testaverde's son to join Great Danes". The Daily Gazette.
  16. "Vincent Testaverde starting QB for Albany Great Danes". USA Today. Associated Press. August 23, 2018.
  17. Rubel, Abigail (December 24, 2022). "Vincent Testaverde Jr. signs with Albany Empire". Times Union.
  18. Stroud, Rick (August 27, 2019). "The kid's dream becomes reality". Tampa Bay Times. p. C1, C3 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  19. Dixon, Schuyler (August 29, 2019). "Testaverde's son leads Bucs to preseason finale win". The Ledger. Associated Press.
  20. "NFL cuts for all 32 teams: Who's in and who's out". ESPN. August 31, 2019.
  21. Bassinger, Thomas (October 17, 2019). "XFL draft: What we learned about the Tampa Bay Vipers". Tampa Bay Times.
  22. Belson, Ken (August 18, 2020). "C.F.L. Cancels Season as Pandemic Undermines League Finances". The New York Times.
  23. Brog, Zakkary (May 11, 2021). "New Leader in Town: Testaverde Jr. hopes to make his mark on the Rattlers". The Entertainer! Magazine. Times Media Group.
  24. "Four Offensive Players Re-Sign with the Rattlers for 2022". Indoor Football League. November 19, 2021.
  25. "Elks sign quarterback Testaverde Jr". The Sports Network. February 13, 2023.
  26. "Edmonton Elks release former Most Outstanding Rookie James Wilder Jr". The Sports Network. March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
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