College: Witherspoon played at the university of Colorado, where he finished tied for 13th on the program's all-time pass breakup list (28). During his time in Boulder, he played in 28 games (21 starts) and notched 58 tackles (52 solo), two interceptions, 12 passes defended and one forced fumble. He earend Second-Team All-Pac-12 honors from the Associated Press and the league's coaches after he led the nation in pass breakups (23) and tied for the most in CU single-season history in 2016. He played in all 14 games (12 starts) his senior season. As a junior in 2015, Witherspoon played in all 13 games (eight starts) and appeared in 10 contests (one start) as a sophomore in 2014. He also played one season at Sacramento City College and tied for third in the Mid-Empire Conference with three interceptions in eight games.
Personal: He played just one season of high school football, starting at cornerback his senior year at Christian Brothers. He finished with 25 tackles (14 solo) with four pass breakups and an interception. Despite his short prep career, Witherspoon had over a dozen colleges interested in him. He also lettered twice in basketball as a point guard, averaging 16 points per game and seven assists as a senior. Witherspoon also spent time on the baseball diamond and had a .300 batting average to go along with 21 stolen bases as a senior. He played soccer as a freshman. Witherspoon's father, Lucky, was a tailback at NevadaReno and his cousin, Mike Brown, played basketball at the University of Rhode Island. His grandfather, Jimmy Witherspoon, was a blue artist who is best known for his song "Aint Nobody's Business", which reached no.1 on the R&B charts in 1949. Witherspoon majored in EBIO (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology).