University of Delaware Athletics
Kedrick Whitehead Continues to Impress During First Professional Season
7/12/2024 12:00:00 PM | Football
NEWARK, Del. – University of Delaware alum Kedrick Whitehead recently completed his first season of professional football following a highly successful and decorated career in the Blue & Gold. He made a strong impression at an NFL preseason camp before becoming a key player for the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL).
Whitehead put together one of the most decorated careers in Delaware history, earning nine All-America selections and four All-CAA honors, including three-straight nods to the first team. He finished with 295 career tackles, which is seventh all-time among UD defensive backs, while also registering five interceptions and 25 passes defended. The Middletown, Delaware native had 102 tackles as a sophomore in 2019 before recording 75 and 73 in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
At Delaware’s 2023 Pro Day, Whitehead put up impressive numbers, including 24 repetitions on the bench press that would have ranked second among safeties at the NFL Combine. He was invited to rookie minicamp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he had three days of workouts, practices and meetings to earn an undrafted free agent (UDFA) contract and invitation to the team’s preseason camp.
“Rookie minicamp was only three days, and that was a really fun experience,” Whitehead said. “I was excited to go in there, still with that chip on my shoulder, and show them that I deserved to be there and that I can play. I was able to showcase my talents there - I was being myself, I was communicating, I was leading and making plays - and they really liked what they saw so they wanted to keep me around throughout offseason programming and into camp.”
Whitehead was one of just four players to sign a UDFA contract with the Bucs out of minicamp and went into training camp looking to continue to impress and earn a roster spot.
“I was still doing the same thing I was doing during minicamp, just now on a bigger level because there weren’t just rookies out there, but there were also vets. I was on the field with future hall of famers, which was an amazing experience. I was still doing my thing, making plays and having a ball out there, but unfortunately, I got injured.”
In Tampa Bay’s first preseason game against the Steelers, Whitehead was able to get valuable playing time as one of just a few safeties on the roster. He took advantage of the opportunity and was among the team leaders with three tackles, including a big stop in the open field on a third-and-short play.
“It was an amazing game; I had some tackles and made a lot of good plays. I still had opportunities to go out there and put good things on tape, but unfortunately, I got injured after that which led to me getting injury released.”
Whitehead had a lower-body injury that kept him out of the final few weeks of training camp. Even still, he was one of the final cuts before the regular season. The Bucs continued to pay for his rehab away from their facilities and he spent the fall and winter working his way back. In March, another opportunity came his way as Whitehead signed with the Michigan Panthers shortly after the UFL training camps had started.
Just as in his days at UD, Whitehead made an impact with the Panthers immediately. He ranked among the UFL leaders with 30 tackles as he appeared in and made a tackle in each of Michigan’s 10 regular season games before adding three more tackles in the postseason.
“Football is football. In terms of level of play, there wasn’t much of a difference from Delaware. Of course, you are going to have one or two guys who are extremely fast or extremely strong. But if you are there, you’re good at football. If you’re in that room, then you can compete with those guys as well.”
Whitehead not only made an impact on defense but was a key player on special teams. In the third game of the season, he blocked a punt against Houston and then, in the playoffs against top-seeded Birmingham he lined up at gunner on the punt unit and caught a pass to convert a first down.
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— Michigan Panthers (@USFLPanthers) May 12, 2024
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— Michigan Panthers (@USFLPanthers) April 14, 2024
“I don’t know if I ever have blocked a punt. I remember vividly missing a blocked punt opportunity in high school. A clean one up the middle and I was like ‘that can never happen again.’
“It’s always a great opportunity to make a play no matter where that play comes from. Just figuring out ways to impact the game and that is not always going to be in a traditional way like on defense. It was fun making those plays on special teams. I really enjoy special teams because it is a time to be special.”
Whitehead was one of just a handful of former Blue Hens making their mark in the UFL. Along with Whitehead, Nolan Henderson became the starting quarterback for the Houston Roughnecks, Vinny Papale was second in the league in receiving touchdowns for the Memphis Showboats and Gino Gradkowski had two all-league selections as the offensive line coach for the St. Louis Battlehawks.
“It was really cool to see Delaware so well represented. There was a multitude of guys in that league whether they were coaching or playing. It was a warm feeling to see guys, familiar faces, that you are used to. When we played against Nolan, that was an amazing experience because I have been playing against Nolan since high school. Now playing with him on a professional level, it was kind of like a dream come true.”
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