Devon Witherspoon
{{short description|American football player (born 2000)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Devon Witherspoon
| image = Devon Witherspoon FanDuel Interview (cropped).png
| alt =
| caption = Witherspoon in 2023
| current_team = Seattle Seahawks
| number = 21
| position = Cornerback
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2000|12|11}}
| birth_place = Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 0
| weight_lb = 185
| high_school = Pine Forest {{nowrap|(Pensacola, Florida)}}
| college = Illinois (2019–2022)
| draftyear = 2023
| draftround = 1
| draftpick = 5
| pastteams =
- Seattle Seahawks ({{NFL Year|2023}}–present)
| status = Active
| highlights =
- 2× Pro Bowl (2023, 2024)
- PFWA All-Rookie Team (2023)
- Consensus All-American (2022)
- Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year (2022)
- First-team All-Big Ten (2022)
| statweek = 18
| statseason = 2024
| statlabel1 = Total tackles
| statvalue1 = 177
| statlabel2 = Sacks
| statvalue2 = 4.0
| statlabel3 = Forced fumbles
| statvalue3 = 2
| statlabel4 = Fumble recoveries
| statvalue4 =
| statlabel5 = Pass deflections
| statvalue5 = 25
| statlabel6 = Interceptions
| statvalue6 = 1
| statlabel7 = Defensive touchdowns
| statvalue7 = 1
| pfr = WithDe00
}}
Devon Marquis Witherspoon (born December 11, 2000) is an American professional football cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini, where he was named the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year in 2022. Witherspoon was selected by the Seahawks fifth overall in the 2023 NFL draft.
Early life
Devon Witherspoon attended Pine Forest High School in Pensacola, Florida. Initially concentrating his athletic abilities on basketball, Witherspoon did not begin playing football until his junior year of high school.{{Cite web |last=Kimball |first=Anderson |date=August 5, 2022 |title=Devon Witherspoon succeeding as Illinois' top cornerback and trash-talker |url=https://pantagraph.com/sports/college/illini/watch-now-devon-witherspoon-succeeding-as-illinois-top-cornerback-and-trash-talker/article_5a7462ee-1450-11ed-bd0b-2730392ee90c.html |access-date=June 2, 2023 |website=Pantagraph.com |language=en}} As a senior in 2018, he was the Pensacola News Journal Defensive Player of the Year after recording 74 tackles, seven interceptions and two touchdowns.{{Cite web |last=Achatz |first=Brian |date=December 24, 2018 |title=Witherspoon's lockdown defense was equally important as his enthusiasm and spark |url=https://www.pnj.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2018/12/24/witherspoons-lockdown-defense-equally-important-his-enthusiasm-and-spark/2259061002/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507103642/https://www.pnj.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2018/12/24/witherspoons-lockdown-defense-equally-important-his-enthusiasm-and-spark/2259061002/ |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=June 2, 2023 |website=Pensacola News Journal}} He committed to play college football at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.{{Cite web |last=Wallace |first=Eric J. |date=July 30, 2019 |title=Pine Forest standout Devon Witherspoon to play football at Illinois |url=https://www.pnj.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/07/30/pine-forest-devon-witherspoon-illinois-football/1866039001/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204225743/https://www.pnj.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/07/30/pine-forest-devon-witherspoon-illinois-football/1866039001/ |archive-date=February 4, 2023 |access-date=June 2, 2023 |website=Pensacola News Journal}}
College career
Witherspoon was the only true freshman to start on defense for the Illinois Fighting Illini in 2019. He wound up playing in every game, making 33 tackles. As a sophomore in 2020, he recorded 33 tackles and two interceptions.{{Cite web |last=Hayes |first=Pete |date=November 10, 2020 |title=Lovie: Pound-for-pound, Witherspoon is Illini's toughest |url=https://www.thetelegraph.com/sports/article/Lovie-Pound-for-pound-Witherspoon-is-15716830.php |access-date=June 2, 2023 |website=Alton Telegraph |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Achatz |first=Brian |date=December 11, 2020 |title=Witherspoon breaks down journey from JUCO through rise at Illinois |url=https://www.pnj.com/story/sports/2020/12/11/witherspoon-breaks-down-journey-juco-through-rise-illinois/3873761001/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120180427/https://www.pnj.com/story/sports/2020/12/11/witherspoon-breaks-down-journey-juco-through-rise-illinois/3873761001/ |archive-date=January 20, 2022 |access-date=June 2, 2023 |website=Pensacola News Journal}}
He played and started 10 games his junior year in 2021, finishing with 52 tackles and one sack.{{Cite web |last=Kimball |first=Anderson |date=August 5, 2022 |title=Devon Witherspoon succeeding as Illinois' top cornerback and trash-talker |url=https://pantagraph.com/sports/college/illini/watch-now-devon-witherspoon-succeeding-as-illinois-top-cornerback-and-trash-talker/article_5a7462ee-1450-11ed-bd0b-2730392ee90c.html |access-date=May 18, 2023 |website=Pantagraph.com |language=en}} Witherspoon returned to Illinois his senior year in 2022, beginning the year as the Big Ten Conference leader in passes defended.{{Cite web |last=Kimball |first=Anderson |date=August 7, 2022 |title=Climbing the Charts: Devon Witherspoon Succeeding as Illinois' Top Cornerback |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/124189697/climbing-the-charts-devon-witherspoon-s/ |access-date=June 2, 2023 |page=A6 |via=Newspapers.com |newspaper=Southern Illinoisan}}
A supremely confident player, Witherspoon was regarded as the leading trash-talker on the Fighting Illini team during his tenure. When asked about the biggest talkers on the squad, offensive teammate Isaiah Williams joked that "Spoon is number one. Spoon is at one and then we go to like five."{{Cite web |last=Werner |first=Jeremy |date=August 2, 2022 |title=Brash Illini CB Devon Witherspoon backs up talking trash: 'He's a hell of a competitor' |url=https://247sports.com/college/illinois/Article/Devon-Witherspoon-Illinois-Fighting-Illini-football-NFL-Draft-trash-talker-190848133/ |access-date=June 2, 2023 |website=247Sports |language=en}}
"I gotta talk, it's just me. I can't live without doing it," Witherspoon acknowledged.
During his senior year Witherspoon was named one of twelve finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, presented to the nation's top defensive back. He was selected as the 2022 Tatum–Woodson Defensive Back of the Year, an award given to the top defensive back in the Big Ten Conference, and was named a consensus All-American at the season's conclusion.{{Cite web |last=Farrar |first=Doug |date=September 2, 2022 |title=Illinois' Devon Witherspoon's killer tackle based on football smarts |url=https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/2022/09/02/illinois-cb-devon-witherspoons-hit-indiana/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209133521/https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/2022/09/02/illinois-cb-devon-witherspoons-hit-indiana/ |archive-date=February 9, 2023 |access-date=June 2, 2023 |website=Touchdown Wire}}
Professional career
{{NFL predraft
| height ft = 5
| height in = 11 1/2
| weight = 181
| dash = 4.45
| ten split = 1.58
| twenty split = 2.55
| arm span = 31 1/4
| hand span = 8 7/8
| note = {{Cite web |url=https://www.nfl.com/prospects/devon-witherspoon/32005749-5414-3920-4168-4be52b4fc3cf |title=Devon Witherspoon Draft and Combine Prospect Profile |website=NFL.com |access-date=April 10, 2023}}{{Cite web |url=https://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1046351&DraftYear=2023 |title=2023 NFL Draft Scout Devon Witherspoon College Football Profile |access-date=April 10, 2023 |website=DraftScout.com}}
}}
Witherspoon was selected by the Seattle Seahawks fifth overall in the 2023 NFL draft.{{Cite web |date=April 27, 2023 |title=Seahawks Select CB Devon Witherspoon With 5th Overall Pick |url=https://www.seahawks.com/news/devon-witherspoon-nfl-draft-cornerback-illinois |access-date=May 18, 2023 |website=Seahawks.com}} The Seahawks obtained this draft pick as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos in the previous offseason.{{cite web | last=DiLalla | first=Aric | title=Broncos trade for nine-time Pro Bowl QB Russell Wilson | website=Denver Broncos | date=2022-03-16 | url=https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-trade-for-nine-time-pro-bowl-qb-russell-wilson | access-date=2024-11-04}}
In Week 4 of the 2023 season, Witherspoon recorded his first career interception on a pass from quarterback Daniel Jones in a 24-3 win against the New York Giants. He returned the interception 97 yards for a pick-six,{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Charean |date=October 3, 2023 |title=Devon Witherspoon's 97-yard pick-six gives Seahawks 21-3 lead |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/devon-witherspoons-97-yard-pick-six-gives-seahawks-21-3-lead |access-date=October 3, 2023 |website=NBC Sports |language=en-US}} the second-longest pick-six in team history, the longest being a 98 yard pick six by Bobby Wagner against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13 of the 2018 season.{{Cite web |last=Mathews |first=Liz |date=February 20, 2019 |title=Bobby Wagner's pick-6 ranked 7th-best defensive touchdown of 2018. |url=https://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/2019/02/20/bobby-wagner-pick-6-defensive-touchdown-seahawks/ |access-date=October 3, 2023 |website=Seahawks Wire|publisher=USA Today |language=en-US}} That same game, Witherspoon became the third rookie in NFL history to record 2.0+ sacks and a pick-six in a single game, along with Todd Shell and Andy Katzenmoyer, and the first player, rookie or not, to record both 2.0+ sacks and a 95+ yard pick six in a game since sacks became an official stat in 1982.{{Cite web |last=Farrar |first=Doug |date=October 2, 2023 |title=Seahawks rookie CB Devon Witherspoon makes NFL history with massive game. |url=https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/2023/10/02/seahawks-rookie-cb-devon-witherspoon-makes-nfl-history-with-massive-game/# |website=Touchdown Wire|publisher=USA Today |language=en-US}} For this performance, Witherspoon won National Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week.{{Cite web |last=Gordon |first=Grant |date=October 4, 2023 |title=Bills quarterback Josh Allen, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey highlight Players of the Week |url=https://www.nfl.com/news/players-of-the-week-2023-week-4-josh-allen-christian-mccaffrey |access-date=October 5, 2023 |website=NFL.com}} As a rookie, he appeared in 14 games and started 13. He finished with three sacks, 79 total tackles (56 solo), one interception, 16 passes defended, and one forced fumble.{{Cite web |title=Devon Witherspoon 2023 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WithDe00/gamelog/2023/ |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} He was named to the PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team.{{Cite web |title=2023 NFL All-Rookie Team |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/awards/nfl-all-rookie-2023.htm |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} He earned Pro Bowl honors.{{Cite web |last=Obee |first=Mallik |date=January 5, 2024 |title=Friday Round-Up: Devon Witherspoon Makes Fighting Illini History as Rookie Pro Bowl Selection |url=https://www.seahawks.com/news/friday-round-up-devon-witherspoon-makes-fighting-illini-history-as-rookie-pro-bo |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=Seahawks.com |language=en-US}} He finished the 2024 season with one sack, 98 tackles, and nine passes defended.{{Cite web |title=Devon Witherspoon 2024 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WithDe00/gamelog/2024/ |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}
NFL career statistics
| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2"| Legend |
| Bold
| Career high |
=Regular season=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | ||||||||||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team ! colspan="2"| Games ! colspan="4"| Tackles ! colspan="6"| Interceptions ! colspan="2"| Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | |
| 2023 | SEA
| 14 || 13 || 79 || 56 || 23 || 3.0 || 16 || 1 || 97 || 97.0 || 97T || 1 || 1 || 0 | |||||||||||||
| 2024 | SEA
| 17 || 17 || 98 || 66 || 32 || 1.0 || 9 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 | |||||||||||||
| colspan="2" | [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WithDe00.htm Career] | 31 | 30 | 177 | 122 | 55 | 4.0 | 25 | 1 | 97 | 97.0 | 97T | 1 | 2 | 0 |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{Twitter}}
{{footballstats|yahoo=40056|espn=4575431|nfl=devon-witherspoon}}
- [https://www.seahawks.com/team/players-roster/devon-witherspoon/ Seattle Seahawks bio]
- [https://fightingillini.com/sports/football/roster/devon-witherspoon/12972 Illinois Fighting Illini bio]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Witherspoon, Devon}}
Category:All-American college football players
Category:American football cornerbacks
Category:Illinois Fighting Illini football players
Category:Players of American football from Pensacola, Florida
Category:Seattle Seahawks players