Devon Witherspoon
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Devon Marquis Witherspoon (born December 11, 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
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
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
Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the College athletics, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's Varsity team, varsity sports. The university op ...
, 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 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 ...
.


Early life

Devon Witherspoon attended Pine Forest High School in
Pensacola, Florida Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
. Initially concentrating his athletic abilities on basketball, Witherspoon did not begin playing football until his junior year of high school. As a senior in 2018, he was the ''
Pensacola News Journal The '' Pensacola News Journal'' is a daily morning newspaper serving Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida. It is Northwest Florida's most widely read daily. The ''News Journal'' is owned by Gannett, a national media holding company t ...
'' Defensive Player of the Year after recording 74 tackles, seven
interceptions In ball-playing 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 a player of the same team bu ...
and two
touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...
. He committed to play
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 ...
at
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
.


College career

left, 175px, Witherspoon with Illinois in 2022. Witherspoon was the only true freshman to start on defense for the
Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the College athletics, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's Varsity team, varsity sports. The university op ...
in 2019. He wound up playing in every game, making 33 tackles. As a sophomore in 2020, he recorded 33 tackles and two interceptions. He played and started 10 games his junior year in 2021, finishing with 52 tackles and one sack. Witherspoon returned to Illinois his senior year in 2022, beginning the year as the
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...
leader in passes defended. 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." "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 The Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport athlete Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athle ...
, 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 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 ...
at the season's conclusion.


Professional career


2023

The
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
selected Witherspoon fifth overall in 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 ...
. He notably became the third of five defensive backs drafted from the same Illinois' secondary spanning from
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
–2020, including
Nate Hobbs Nate Hobbs (born June 24, 1999) is an American professional football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and was selected by the Raiders in the fi ...
(2021),
Kerby Joseph Kerby Joseph (born November 14, 2000) is an American professional football safety for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini, where he was an All-American. Joseph was s ...
(2022),
Quan Martin Jartavius Quan Martin (born April 17, 2000) is an American professional American football, football Safety (gridiron football position), safety for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for t ...
, and Sydney Brown (2023). He was the first cornerback to be selected in 2023 and became the highest defensive back to be selected from Illinois, surpassing Vontae Davis (2009). He also became the fourth highest draft pick from Illinois since 1967, only after
Jeff George Jeffrey Scott George (born December 8, 1967) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini, winning the Samm ...
(1st/1990), Kevin Hardy (2nd/1996), and
Simeon Rice Simeon James Rice (; born February 24, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and was selected by the ...
(3rd/1996). On July 28, 2023, the Seattle Seahawks signed Witherspoon to a fully-guaranteed four–year, $31.86 million
rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...
contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...
that includes an initial
signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $20.17 million. He entered training camp slated as the ''de facto'' No. 1 starting cornerback under defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt. Head coach
Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as head coach for the NCAA's ...
named him the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with Tariq Woolen. On August 7, 2023, Witherspoon injured his hamstring during practice and subsequently missed the entire preseason and the Seahawks' week 1 season-opener against the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
. On September 17, 2023, Witherspoon made his professional regular season debut and earned his first career start, recording five combined tackles (three solo) and broke up one pass during a 37–31 overtime victory at 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 ...
. The following week, he set a season-high with 11 combined tackles (eight solo) and recorded two pass deflections as the Seahawks defeated the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
37–27 in week 3. On October 2, 2023, Witherspoon made seven combined tackles (six solo), a pass deflection, set a career-high with two sacks, and returned his first career interception for his first career touchdown during a 24–3 victory at the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
. He had his first career touchdown on a pick-six after intercepting a pass by Daniel Jones to wide receiver
Parris Campbell Parris John Campbell Jr. (born July 16, 1997) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected by the Indian ...
and returned it 97–yards for a touchdown. It became the second-longest pick-six in franchise history, second to a 98–yard pick-six by
Bobby Wagner Bobby Joseph Wagner (born June 27, 1990) is an American professional football linebacker for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Utah State Aggies and was selected by the Seattle Sea ...
in (2018). 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 Andrew Warren Katzenmoyer (born December 2, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Patriots in the first round (28 ...
, 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. His performance earned him
NFC NFC usually refers to: * Near-field communication, a set of communication protocols for electronic devices * National Football Conference, part of US National Football League NFC may also refer to: Psychology * Need for cognition, in psychol ...
Defensive Player of the Week. In week 10, he recorded five combined tackles (four solo) and tied his season-high of three pass deflections during a 13–31 loss to 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 ...
. Following a hip injury, Witherspoon would remain inactive for two games (Weeks 15–16). He finished his rookie season with 79 combined tackles (56 solo), 16 pass deflections, three sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and a touchdown in 14 games and 13 starts. He was named to the PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team. He earned Pro Bowl honors.


2024

On January 31, 2024, the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
announced the hiring of Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator
Mike Macdonald Michael Macdonald (born June 26, 1987) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the B ...
as their head coach following the departure of
Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as head coach for the NCAA's ...
. Witherspoon returned to training camp as the ''de facto'' No. 1 starting cornerback under the Seahawks' new defensive coordinator
Aden Durde Aden Durde (born 10 July 1979) is a British American football coach and former linebacker who is the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive line coach for the Da ...
. He was named a starting cornerback to begin the season, alongside Tariq Woolen. In week 11, he set a season-high with eight combined tackles (three solo) and set a new season-high with three pass deflections during a 20–17 victory at 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 ...
. On December 26, 2024, he recorded six solo tackles and had his lone sack of the season on Caleb Williams during a 6–3 win at the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
. The following week, he tied his season-high of eight combined tackles (four solo) and made two pass break ups during a 30–25 victory at the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
. He started all 17 games throughout the
2024 NFL season The 2024 NFL season was the 105th season of the National Football League (NFL). The season began on September 5, 2024, with reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City defeating Baltimore in the NFL Kickoff Game. The regular season concluded on ...
and finished with a total of 98 combined tackles (66 solo), nine pass deflections, and a sack.


NFL career statistics


Regular season


References


External links

*
Seattle Seahawks bioIllinois Fighting Illini bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Witherspoon, Devon Living people 2000 births All-American college football players American football cornerbacks Illinois Fighting Illini football players Players of American football from Pensacola, Florida Seattle Seahawks players National Conference Pro Bowl players Pine Forest High School alumni