Charlotte – Stony Brook football alumnus Gavin Heslop has signed a contract with the Carolina Panthers and will join their practice squad as announced by the team on Wednesday. Heslop is in his third season in the NFL and has held stints with the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks.

Heslop most recently signed with the Giants in July ahead of training camp, but he was released prior to the regular season. The Panthers have scooped him up ahead of Week Seven.

Last season, he appeared in three games for Seattle and totaled one tackle. The defensive back made his NFL debut on November 21, 2021, against the Arizona Cardinals. He registered his first career tackle in Seattle's 33-13 win versus the Houston Texans on December 12.
 
After his Stony Brook career, he signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in April of 2020. Heslop was selected to the All-CAA Football Third Team in his final season on Long Island in 2019. He totaled 52 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a pair of blocked kicks, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries, which included one returned for a touchdown that year.
 
During his collegiate career at Stony Brook, the Yonkers, N.Y. native appeared in 45 games and made 37 consecutive starts. He finished his career with 196 total tackles, with 21.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 30 pass defenses, three blocked kicks, and a pair of fumbles returned for touchdowns.

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