👉 Follow collegefootball Devon Witherspoon: The Lockdown Illini The corner who turned the Big Ten into a "No-Fly Zone." Devon "Spoon" Witherspoon’s journey is the ultimate "bet on yourself" story. Originally an under-the-radar recruit from Pensacola who almost went the JUCO route, Witherspoon arrived at Illinois just days before training camp in 2019. He didn't just make the roster—he became the only true freshman to start on defense that year. By the time he was a senior in 2022, he was the most feared cornerback in college football. His 2022 season was a statistical anomaly. Witherspoon played 560 snaps of man coverage (the second-most in the nation) and did not allow a single touchdown all year. He played with a "controlled violence" that saw him leveling Power-5 running backs and erasing WR1s from the stat sheet. He finished as Illinois' first-ever consensus All-American defensive back and a finalist for the Thorpe Award, cementing his legacy as the greatest DB to ever wear t...