Illinois Football: Illini land under-the-radar athlete Devon Witherspoon

The Illinois football team added another player to the family for the class of 2019 on Monday afternoon.

Devon Witherspoon announced on Twitter that he has decided to commit to the University of Illinois. This is an addition to the program that was needed because of the lack of secondary depth. I am always a fan of building up the cornerback position.

Witherspoon is a 6-foot, 160-pound cornerback from Pine Forest High School in Pensacola, Florida. He isn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports, but he does have some scholarship offers. Some of the bigger offers Witherspoon had were from Temple, Southern Miss and Troy. But the Illini managed to snag this young defensive back.

From the little that is out there about Witherspoon, it looks like he has good speed and is quick to the ball. These are great attributes to have as a cornerback. I also like his ability to catch a ball. Most defensive backs don’t have great hands but I don’t think that is the case with this kid. I also wanted to get a perspective from one of his former coaches. Here is what Pine Forest High School offensive line coach Ryan Vandervort had to say about Witherspoon.

“He’s a playmaker…dog mentality. He’s an extremely good cover corner. We matched him up with teams best wide receiver and he shuts them down.”

Vandervort continued on about the type of athlete Witherspoon was at the high school ranks.

“He was a three-sport athlete but didn’t start playing football until his junior year in high school. He was the Defensive Player of the Year and overall top athlete in the area. He was the district championship in football, basketball and track. In track, he was a part of the 4×100 team that finished second at state, and in one meet, he jumped 6’ 7” in the high jump.”

This is all great information considering there isn’t much published about Witherspoon. In the little I have watched of him, he appeared to be a great athlete. That has now been confirmed by one of the coaches on his high school team.

Illinois recruits for talent, but they also recruit on potential. They go for the kids who have a high ceiling. That is what I see with Witherspoon. The potential this kid has as an athlete is exciting to think about. I can’t wait to get him into the program.