Devon Witherspoon

Devon Witherspoon did not play football until his junior year of high school. But he quickly emerged as a top prospect at Pine Forest in Pensacola, Florida. He was originally planning on attending Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College, but Illinois offered him late in the process and he arrived during the Illini’s 2019 training camp. As a freshman in 2019, Witherspoon played in all 13 games and started three games at cornerback. He was the only true freshman to start a game for the Illini in 2019. Witherspoon missed some time in 2020 with an injury but still started seven games. Then in 2021, Witherspoon earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. He led the Illini in pass breakups and had a career-high four PBUs against Nebraska. In 2022, Witherspoon was a preseason all-conference pick. He was the Senior Bowl defensive player of the week after racking up seven tackles, three pass deflections and only 11 passing yards on 11 targets against Virginia. He is majoring in communications.