BIOGRAPHY
Ahkello Witherspoon was born on March, 21st, 1995, in Oak Park, California. He is a cornerback in the NFL.
Witherspoon began his athletic career at a young age. A multi-sport athlete growing up, Witherspoon excelled in soccer as a midfielder and as an outfielder and pitcher in baseball. He picked up soccer at the age of five in order to be more like his older sister, Alexis. Witherspoon credits soccer for teaching him footwork and body awareness skills. He also played basketball with 49ers Defensive Lineman Arik Armstead and trained with his father, Guss. Witherspoon didn't start playing football until his senior year at Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, California. He went on to play one year at Sacramento City College before transferring to Colorado University where he majored in ecology and evolutionary biology.
Witherspoon’s grandfather, Jimmy Witherspoon, was a renowned blues/jazz musician and singer whose hits, including “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” which reached number one on the U.S. R&B charts in 1949, came in the late 1940’s. Ahkello also sings and plays the drums. Not only was Witherspoon’s grandfather extremely talented, his father also had skills of his own. Lucky Witherspoon was a running back at the University of Nevada and was good enough to be invited to a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys.
Witherspoon chose to participate at Colorado's pro day long with, Chidobe Awuzie, Tedric Thompson, Sefo Liufau, and ten other prospects. All 32 NFL teams had team representatives and scouts present. He had five private workouts and visits with the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks, and was ranked the 14th best cornerback prospect in the draft. The San Francisco 49ers selected Ahkello in the third round (66th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Witherspoon competed with Dontae Johnson, Rashard Robinson, Keith Reaser, and K'Waun Williams throughout training camp for the starting cornerback position. Head coach Kyle Shanahan named him the fifth cornerback on the depth chart. Witherspoon finished his rookie year playing in 12 games with nine starts, recording 32 tackles, seven passes defended, and two interceptions.
In 2021, he signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks.
On March 25, 2022, Witherspoon signed a two-year contract extension with the Steelers. He was named a starting cornerback for the Steelers alongside Cameron Sutton. He started the first three games before suffering a hamstring injury in Week 3. He missed seven of the next eight games before being placed on injured reserve on December 3, 2022. He was released by Pittsburgh on May 17, 2023.
On June 29, 2023, Witherspoon signed with the Los Angeles Rams.
