Name: Wilton Speight
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 235 lbs.
High school: Richmond (VA) Collegiate
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #19
Last year: I ranked Speight #87 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.
Michigan had an established starter going into last season, and the Wolverines had a highly touted sophomore backup. They also had redshirt junior Russell Bellomy, who existed in a helmetless state. Both backups had seen game action in the past, so there was no need to play Speight.
This spring Speight earned some early praise for his mental acuity and leadership, but as practices wore on, the coaches reportedly started to realize that Speight was not the same kind of athlete as a couple of the other options. He supposedly dropped toward the bottom of the depth chart, and a minor injury removed any chance we had of seeing him in the spring game. Meanwhile, incoming transfer Jake Rudock looks like he'll be the starter this year, Shane Morris returns as the #2 guy, and there might be a battle for the #3 spot between Speight, freshman Alex Malzone, and freshman Zach Gentry. Malzone had already moved past Speight this spring, and Gentry has higher upside. Unless several injuries occur, Speight will probably sit on the bench or be a mop-up guy this season.
Prediction: Backup quarterback
Word on the street is he gone.
ReplyDeleteyeah id be shocked if he is not one of the transfers many have mentioned.
Deletethats a borges / hoke special right there - think its safe to say harbaugh and fisch were probably amazed hes the only QB following morris and a QB-less class. it just never made much sense
Word on the street is he's my cousin and he isn't going anywhere.
DeleteIt must be hard for a kid to come in thinking he has a shot, then see it all fade away ... coaching changes, influx of other QBs (recruits and transfers), etc.
ReplyDeletea coaching transition casualty. I feel bad for the kid.
DeleteCome to UNLV! We can use you!!!
ReplyDeleteThe young man publicly stated that those rumors are false and that he's staying put.
ReplyDeleteWith all the QB's seemingly now ahead of him - some with even more eligibility than he, himself, I'd be shocked to see him stick around.
DeleteYou said, "I'd be shocked." Who are you exactly?
DeleteHarbaugh of course! Duh.
DeleteFor everyone who wants to run the kid out of town - don't.
ReplyDeleteHe may be buried on the depth chart, he may not be. Given all the buzz it seems like he is. So what? Maybe he's OK with playing a backup role for 4 years, learning a bunch from Harbaugh, Fisch, etc, getting a degree from a very good school, and then moving on for his grad season to show everyone what he's learned. The Michigan program has room for players like this, and even if Speight never starts he could be a valuable contributor in practice, etc. And... you never know. Nobody thought much of Drake Johnson once we got Green and Smith yet it was Johnson who got the call against OSU and had a couple TDs in a near-upset of the national champions. Nobody thought much of Jordan Morgan yet there he was going head to head against future NBA lottery picks and coming out a victor. Tom Brady appeared to be buried behind younger and higher regarded players and considered transferring too -- fortunately we didn't have social media at the time, or he might have gone through with it.
The 'unexpected' happens too often in college sports to dismiss any freshman.
Thanks, Mrs. Speight.
DeleteI'm not sure what happened in the infamous HBO video with Harbaugh. Still, Wilt seems like a stand-up guy and IIRC he played a part in recruiting some of his classmates. As far as taking up space (on the roster) is concerned, if it gets to that level, you could do a lot worse.
DeleteThis is a redshirt FREShMAN QB, a real big one at that, although an older one to be sure by virtue of a sort of prep year.
ReplyDeleteIt is not his fault, but Speight is a constant reminder for me of Borges' lazy QB recruiting. He basically recruited Speight based on a recommendation from the QB guru Steve Clarkson, who is paid by players to help them develop and get major offers. For his throwing evaluation, Borges did not show up and just sent Hecklinski. Then UM tells three QB's that they are ready to pull the trigger and the first one to call back has the offer. To pull this crap with the most important position in any recruiting class struck me as absurd. Beyond that, Shane fell in UM's lap and they offered Bellomy after watching an hour of highlights. That is the full scope of Borges' QB recruiting efforts. The approach and effort could not be more diametrically opposed to what we have seen from Harbaugh in his first few months.
ReplyDeleteif Borges (and Hoke) really did this, no wonder the offense fell apart. Smh.
Delete