Kerrith Whyte Jr. (born October 31, 1996) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

running back who is a free agent. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

Florida Atlantic Owls The Florida Atlantic Owls are the athletics teams of Florida Atlantic University. The Owls participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I as members of Conference USA. On October 21, 2021, Florida Atlantic accept ...

, and was selected by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

in the seventh round of the

2019 NFL draft The 2019 NFL Draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. The first round was held on April 2 ...

. He has also played for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

College career

Whyte attended

Florida Atlantic Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, and Fort Pierce. FAU belongs to the 12-cam ...

, where he spent his career behind starting back Devin Singletary. In 2018, Whyte recorded a career-high 134 carries for 866 yards and eight touchdowns, along with 19 kickoff returns for an average of 28.7 yards and a touchdown. He ended his FAU career with 232 total carries for 1,358 and 11 touchdowns, 22 receptions for 327 yards and two touchdowns, and an 81 kickoff return for 26.1 average yards and two scores.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Before the

, Whyte participated at FAU's Pro Day, where he recorded a

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

time of 4.36 seconds; the time would have been the second fastest at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Chicago Bears

In the seventh round, the

drafted Whyte with the 222nd overall pick. Bears running back coach

Charles London Charles London (born August 12, 1975) is an American football coach and former player who is the pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). Early life London attended Dunwoody Hi ...

had conducted a private workout with Whyte at FAU prior to the draft. He signed his four-year rookie contract on May 13. He was waived on September 26 and re-signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

the next day.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On November 16, 2019, Whyte was signed by the

off the Bears' practice squad. Due to injuries to the Steelers' top running backs, on December 8, 2019, Whyte accounted for 74 total yards in a win against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

. In the 2019 season, Whyte totaled 24 carries for 122 rushing yards in six games. On September 5, 2020, Whyte was waived by the Steelers.

Detroit Lions

On September 9, 2020, Whyte was signed to the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

' practice squad. He was placed on the practice squad/injured list on October 6.

Buffalo Bills

On August 24, 2021, Whyte signed a one-year deal with the

. He was waived six days later.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On October 12, 2021, Whyte was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad. The Jaguars released him on November 8.

Green Bay Packers (first stint)

The

signed Whyte to their practice squad on November 16, 2021. He was released on November 25.

Denver Broncos

On November 30, 2021, Whyte was signed to the Denver Broncos practice squad. He was released on December 21.

Green Bay Packers (second stint)

On December 29, 2021, Whyte was again signed to the

practice squad.

Memphis Showboats

Whyte signed with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League on November 3, 2022. He and all other Bandits players were transferred to the Memphis Showboats after it was announced that the Bandits were taking a hiatus and that the Showboats were joining the league. Whyte was released on April 10, and re-signed on April 25. He was released on March 10, 2024.

References

External links

FAU Owls bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whyte, Kerrith 1996 births Living people People from Loxahatchee, Florida Players of American football from Palm Beach County, Florida American football running backs Florida Atlantic Owls football players Chicago Bears players Pittsburgh Steelers players Detroit Lions players Buffalo Bills players Jacksonville Jaguars players Green Bay Packers players Denver Broncos players Tampa Bay Bandits (2022) players Memphis Showboats (2022) players