Jonathan Wilhite

Jonathan Wilhite

Wilhite in 2011.
No. 24, 29
Position: Cornerback
Personal information
Date of birth: February 23, 1984
Place of birth: Monroe, Louisiana
Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight: 185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
College: Auburn
NFL draft: 2008 / Round: 4 / Pick: 129
Career history
*Offseason and/or practice squad only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles: 121
Sacks: 2.0
Interceptions: 4
Forced fumbles: 0
Pass deflections: 11
Stats at NFL.com

Jonathan Wilhite (born February 23, 1984) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Auburn and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Wilhite has also been a member of the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears.

Early years

Wilhite attended Ouachita High School in Monroe, Louisiana, where he played football as a running back and receiver. He was named to the All-Northeast Louisiana team and was a second team All-District selection.

College career

Butler County CC

2004

In 2004, Wilhite attended Butler County Community College and posted 44 tackles, seven pass deflections and five interceptions.[1] He earned Earned National Junior College All-American team and All-Conference first-team and he was rated as the best Junior college cornerback in the country.[1] Wilhite was also named first team All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.[1]

Auburn

2005

As a sophomore in 2005, Wilhite played in 12 games and started the last seven games.[2] He was second on the team with seven pass deflections, five of which came in the last seven games of the season.[2] Wilhite also had 47 tackles which made him fifth on Auburn's defense.[2] Against Alabama he had five tackles and two pass deflections, against Georgia he had three tackles and a pass deflection.[2] In the Capital One Bowl against Wisconsin he had five tackles.[2] His best performance of the year came against Kentucky where had seven tackles and one interception and was named SEC Defensive players of the week.[2]

2006

In 2006, as a junior he started in 10 games and had 24 tackles.[2] Against Alabama he had six tackles and then three against Georgia.[2] Wilhite had two tackles against Arkansas State and three against Ole Miss.[2] In the Cotton Bowl Classic, he did not play after he suffered an injury against LSU.[2]

2007

As a senior in 2007, Wilhite started in six games: two at cornerback and four at nickel back.[1] He had 30 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery along with two interceptions and two pass deflections.[1] During his college years, Wilhite became the team jokester, often impersonating coaches and teammates with dead-on accuracy.[3] Auburn's Director of High School and NFL relations said of Wilhite's impersonations,[3]

He’s very funny, and that keeps everybody loose. He could be a stand-up comedian. He can imitate everybody, including all the coaches on our staff. Most of them have heard his impressions of them, and they love it."

Professional career

New England Patriots

Wilhite during an August 28, 2009 preseason game against the Washington Redskins.

Wilhite was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round (129th overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft.[1] On July 17 he signed a contract with New England.[4] He made his NFL debut on September 7, against Kansas City and had a season high six tackles against St. Louis on October 26.[1] His first career interception came off of JaMarcus Russell of the Oakland Raiders on December 14.[1] After spending most of the season behind cornerback Deltha O'Neal, Wilhite replaced O'Neal as a starter for the final four weeks of the 2008 season.

Wilhite played in 14 games for the Patriots in 2009, starting eight. He recorded two interceptions, 45 tackles, and five passes defensed. In 2010, Wilhite played in the first nine games of the season for the Patriots, starting one, before missing four games with a hip injury. He was placed on injured reserve on December 15, with a hamstring injury. He finished the season with 20 tackles and two passes defensed.

On August 29, 2011, he was waived.

Denver Broncos

Wilhite signed with the Denver Broncos on September 4, 2011.[5]

Chicago Bears

Wilhite signed with the Chicago Bears on April 5, 2012.[6] However, he was waived on August 31.[7]

Personal life

In 2011, during the lockout, Wilhite married Sheena Davis.[8]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "New England Patriots bio". Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 "Auburn Tigers bio". Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Scalavino, Erik (June 20, 2008). "Meet the Rookies: CB Jonathan Wilhite". New England Patriots (patriots.com). Retrieved 2009-06-03.
  4. "Patriots sign CB Jonathan Wilhite". New England Patriots (patriots.com). July 17, 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
  5. "Broncos sign former Pats cornerback Jonathan Wilhite | First-and-Orange — The Denver Post". Blogs.denverpost.com. 2011-09-04. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  6. "Bears sign CBs Hayden, Wilhite to boost secondary depth". Chicagotribune.com. 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  7. Mayer, Larry. "Bears reach 53-man roster limit". Chicagobears.com. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
  8. "Blogs: The Blitz» Blog Archive » Patriots CB Jonathan Wilhite uses the lockout… to get married". BostonHerald.com. 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2012-08-03.

External links