Nick Whiteside II (born May 1, 2000) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Saginaw Valley State Cardinals The Saginaw Valley State Cardinals (SVSU Cardinals) are the athletic teams that represent Saginaw Valley State University, located in University Center, Michigan, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sporting competitions. The Cardinals compete a ...

and signed with the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

in 2023.

Early life

Whiteside was born on May 1, 2000, in

Auburn Hills, Michigan Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern suburb of Detroit, Auburn Hills is located about north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 24,360. Auburn Hills is home to ...

. He attended Avondale High School in Auburn Hills and played three sports: football, basketball and track. He won the OAA Scholar Athlete Award and was chosen to his football conference's all-league team. He committed to play

for the

College career

As a true

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

Saginaw Valley State University Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) is a public university in University Center, Michigan, United States, in Saginaw County. It was founded in 1963 as Saginaw Valley College. It is located on in Saginaw County's Kochville Township, appr ...

in 2018, Whiteside played in all 11 games and recorded 15

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, four

pass breakups In American football, a pass deflected, also known as a pass deflection, a pass defended, a pass , a pass knockdown, or a pass breakup, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player. This is done by slapping or blocking the ball with ...

and an

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

. He then received honorable mention All-

Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The GLIAC was founded in June 1972. Its eleven member ...

(GLIAC) honors in 2019 while posting 46 tackles, nine pass breakups and five interceptions in 11 games. After no season in 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Whiteside appeared in all 11 games for the Cardinals in 2021 and had 40 tackles, eight pass breakups and four interceptions. He was selected first-team All-GLIAC, the GLIAC Defensive Back of the Year and was selected second-team Division II

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

. Whiteside suffered a torn

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

at the end of the 2021 season but returned in time for 2022 and appeared in 10 games, recording 30 tackles and two interceptions while repeating as an All-American. However, he suffered a broken foot prior to the final game of the season. He declared for the

2023 NFL draft The 2023 NFL draft was the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2023 NFL season, 2023 season. The NFL draft, draft was held outside of Kansas City Union Station, Union Station i ...

, finishing his collegiate career with 131 tackles, 26 pass breakups and 12 interceptions in 43 games played.

Professional career

Washington Commanders

Whiteside was signed by the

as an

on May 3, 2023. He was released at the final roster cuts and then re-signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. He was elevated to the active roster for the team's Week 17 game against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

and made his NFL debut in the 27–10 loss. He was signed to the active roster on January 5, 2024, and was released on August 27, 2024.

St. Louis Battlehawks

On December 3, 2024, Whiteside signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL).

Detroit Lions

On July 28, 2025, he signed with the

of the

(NFL).

References

External links

Detroit Lions bioSaginaw Valley State Cardinals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whiteside, Nick 2000 births Living people American football cornerbacks Detroit Lions players Players of American football from Oakland County, Michigan People from Auburn Hills, Michigan Saginaw Valley State Cardinals football players St. Louis Battlehawks players Washington Commanders players