Seahawks news: Seattle signs track star CB to complete roster

Andrew Whitaker could be one of the fastest players on the Seahawks now, which is not easy to do: 7/25/2023

The Seattle Seahawks are adding cornerback Andrew Whitaker to the 90-man roster, according to a report by Eric Edholm (as well as Whitaker himself) on Tuesday, which brings at least a tiny bit of finalization to some remaining questions about the team.

I told you that I’d be here for you with a newsletter update when the Seahawks completed their 90-man roster with a signing announcement, and now we have it:

According to Whitaker, he is a “6’1, 192 lb DB with smooth hips, 6’6” wingspan and 4.3 speed to back it up.”

You would think that any cornerback with 4.3 speed on a 6’1 frame would at least be an NFL prospect, but just in case you read that wrong, Whitaker didn’t go to the University of Washington…

He went to Washington University. Whitaker was a track standout at Washington U and he plans to go to medical school when his football career is over.

Whitaker was recruited to WashU by previous Head Coach Larry Kindbom primarily as a football athlete: "My love is where football is," he said. He picked the University for the opportunity to get a world-class degree combined with the flexibility that WashU Athletics offered. In exploring his opportunities as an athlete, he found track as an outlet to keep competing all year long. "I was in love with the culture. I fell in love with the energy," he said. "It doesn't feel like practice; it feels like fun." 

That desire to compete took him to the highest stage in Division III, and becoming a national champion is a memory that will stick in Whitaker's head for a while.  He competed in the 60-meter hurdles in a final heat that Head Coach Jeff Stiles described as a David versus Goliath race. Whitaker was never the favorite coming in, but he dropped .07 seconds to record a personal best on his way to the title.

 "You can only control what you can control, but you just have to have that confidence. You've visualized it, and you've worked for it," Whitaker said. "There was just something inside me that was like, 'There's too many people counting on me for me to fail.'" Others would have crumbled under the pressure, but Whitaker soared instead, scoring an individual ten points and an additional 8 points as a member of the 4x400 relay team that netted the Bears the team title. 

Whitaker was the 2022 national indoor track champion in the 60-meter hurdles and he was a biomedical engineering masters student at Washington University. After playing just four games of football in high school and attending a D-III school, Whitaker went undrafted and last year was an 11th round draft pick in the XFL.

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In college, Whitaker blocked two kicks as a true freshman, two interceptions the next season, a team-best seven pass deflections in 2019, an academic All-American in 2020, and he had a career-best four interceptions in 2021. Notably, he had a pick-six against a school named Carroll and he hopes to have a bunch of them for a coach named Carroll.

It’s interesting that with so much speculation around the team signing Shelby Harris or adding a defensive lineman following their recent cap savings moves—which could still happen, Whitaker is a longshot to make final roster and maybe even to make the practice squad—Seattle’s first move after those last two contract announcements was to add another player to arguably the deepest position on the roster.

The Seahawks have Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon, Coby Bryant, Mike Jackson, Tre Brown, Jerrick Reed, Artie Burns, and Isaiah Dunn atop the depth chart, followed by Lance Boykin, Arquon Bush, Ty Okada, James Campbell, Montrae Braswell, and Benjie Franklin. There might even be a corresponding move at cornerback in the next 24-48 hours.

Whitaker brings speed, size, and brains to Seattle’s competition at training camp this month. What he lacks in experience and knowing how to utilize his gifts at cornerback…that seems to be Pete Carroll’s specialty as a football coach for the last 40 years. Will Andrew Whitaker be his Mona Lisa?

More News: Seahawks release Alton Robinson, two others, and sign another nose tackle

Even More News: Seahawks restructure contract for Quandre Diggs

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