Jonathan Leroy Ledbetter (born September 12, 1997) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is p ...

for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL). He played college football for

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

Early life and high school

Ledbetter grew up in

Tucker, Georgia Tucker is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, located near Atlanta and was originally settled in the 1820s, and later developed as a railroad community in 1892. According to the 2016 United States Census Bureau annual estimat ...

and attended

Tucker High School Tucker High School is the only public high school in Tucker, a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. It is operated by the DeKalb County School District. Its student body consists of over 1,800 students from many different cultures. Ac ...

. He was considered by most scouting services to be a top ten defensive end in his class and was selected to play in the 2015

Under Armour All-America Game The Under Armour High School All-America Game is a high school football all-star game typically held in early January in the U.S. state of Florida created to spotlight the nation’s top high school seniors. The game was first played on January 5 ...

. Ledbetter initially committed to play college football for the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

, but de-committed and decided to play at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

College career

Ledbetter played four seasons for the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...

. After serving a suspension for the first six games of the season stemming from off the field issues, He entered the starting lineup during his sophomore year and finished the season with 24 tackles and a sack in seven games played. As a junior, making 38 tackles (5.5 for loss) with 2.5 sacks in 15 games (11 starts) in

's run to the Playoff National Championship Game. In his senior season, Ledbetter led all Georgia defensive linemen with 56 tackles and finished second on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss with a sack and two forced fumbles and was named second-team All-

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

by the league's coaches. He finished his collegiate career with 122 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. Following the end his final season, Ledbetter received an invitation to play in the

2019 Senior Bowl The 2019 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game played on January 26, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. CST, at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The game featured prospects for the 2019 draft of the professional National ...

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

Ledbetter signed with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pl ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on April 27, 2019 and made the team out of training camp. Ledbetter made his NFL debut on September 8, 2019, starting at defensive end and making four tackles with a combined sack in a 59-10 loss to the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on September 12, 2019. He was waived with a

non-football injury Non-football injury and non-football illness (NFI) are roster designations used in the National Football League (NFL) for players who are unable to practice as a result of conditions unrelated to football, or injuries that did not occur during NFL g ...

designation on April 21, 2020, and reverted to the team's reserve/non-football injury list the next day. On August 31, 2021, Ledbetter was waived by the Dolphins.

Arizona Cardinals

On September 3, 2021, Ledbetter was signed to the

practice squad. On February 9, 2022, Ledbetter signed a reserve/future contract. Ledbetter made the Cardinals roster in 2022 as a backup defensive end. He played in 14 games with three starts, recording 22 tackles and one sack.

Personal

Ledbetter's older brother, Joseph, played basketball at

Pfeiffer University Pfeiffer University is a private university in Misenheimer, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History Pfeiffer originated from a home school operated by Miss Emily Prudden in the late 19th century. The schoo ...

for two years before transferring Georgia and joining the Bulldogs football team as a tight end. Ledbetter was arrested on March 20, 2016 for possession fake ID and underage possession of alcohol. The charges were later dropped, but he was originally suspended for the Georgia's season opener. That same offseason, Ledbetter was arrest for driven under the influence on July 10, 2016 after he was found asleep behind the wheel of his car by police. He was suspended indefinitely by head coach

Kirby Smart Kirby Paul Smart (born December 23, 1975) is an American football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, his alma mater. He coached the 2021 Bulldogs to a national championship victory, their fi ...

, missing the first six games of the 2016 season before being reinstated by the program on October 11, 2016 after completing an education, counseling and medical assistance program.

References

External links

Arizona Cardinals bio

Georgia Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ledbetter, Jonathan 1997 births Living people American football defensive ends Arizona Cardinals players Georgia Bulldogs football players Miami Dolphins players People from Tucker, Georgia Players of American football from DeKalb County, Georgia Tucker High School alumni Under Armour All-American football players