The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, September 13, 2017 — 7

The case for Wilton Speight

W

hen Wilton Speight 
steps up to the 
podium, he exudes 

a quality few college athletes 
— let alone students — 
possess in the face of intense 
criticism: professionalism. 

Saturday 

was no 
different. 
Michigan 
coach Jim 
Harbaugh 
described 
the natural 
butterflies 
this 
youthful 
team must 
overcome.

Speight is one of a few 

exceptions.

As a redshirt freshman, 

he won a game on the road, 
at night, with his team down 
five in the fourth quarter 
against Minnesota.

Nearly a year later, he 

threw the 40-yard touchdown 
pass that beat then-No. 8 
Wisconsin.

Seven games later, he 

started on the road against 
Ohio State with a shoulder he 
wouldn’t admit was injured — 
but undoubtedly was — only 
to come three points shy in a 
heartbreaker.

“When mistakes are made, 

nothing’s gonna faze him,” 
said fifth-year senior center 
Patrick Kugler. “After a big 
play, he’s not super high 
or super low. He’s a poised 
leader out there. Especially 
in the huddle, you know 
that he has a 
command that 
you want to 
follow him.”

And for 

that reason, 
the redshirt 
junior is — and 
should remain 
— Michigan’s 
starting 
quarterback.

I’m not going 

to make excuses 
for Speight.

This season, he has 

underperformed, plain and 
simple, no doubt about it.

He threw two pick-sixes 

in Michigan’s season opener 
against Florida.

He should be absolved 

for the first. The pass hit 
sophomore wide receiver 
Kekoa Crawford’s hands and 
cornerback Duke Dawson 
took it to the house.

The other was his fault. 

Speight sailed a ball over 
Grant Perry’s head and 
cornerback CJ Henderson 
made him pay for the mistake.

Against Cincinnati, he 

fumbled twice — both on 

botched handoffs.

On the first, Speight tried 

to hand the ball off with one 
hand — something Harbaugh 
said he repeatedly cautioned 

his quarterback 
against doing. 
He warned 
that it would 
eventually 
come back to 
bite him. It 
finally did.

The second 

came on an 
end-around 
attempt 
intended for 
Crawford. The 

play ended with Cincinnati 
recovering a fumble. Speight 
was fortunate that his defense 
bailed him out with three 
straight stops.

Through two games, 

Speight is 28-for-54 for 402 
yards, three touchdowns 
and two interceptions. At 
this point last year, he was 
35-for-50 for 457 yards, 
seven touchdowns and one 
interception.

Hawaii and Central Florida 

aren’t Florida and Cincinnati, 
though.

Still, this is Speight’s 

second year under center. 
With that experience comes 
higher expectations, and 

with good reason. Many are 
waiting to see Speight take 
a game over. He hasn’t done 
that yet — not even close.

And when Harbaugh 

briefly sat Speight against the 
Gators, it was supposed to be 
an opportunity for Speight to 
gather himself, settle into the 
flow of the game and examine 
Florida’s defense.

The strategy worked. In the 

first series of the second half, 
he went 5-for-7 for 52 yards 
on a crucial touchdown drive.

Speight’s time on the 

sideline may have opened up 
the dialogue of a quarterback 
competition when there isn’t 
one at all.

Monday afternoon became 

the most recent 
instance that 
Harbaugh has 
publicly backed 
Speight.

“Wilton’s 

the starting 
quarterback,” 
he said.

Yet, the 

other options 
at quarterback 
remain 
unrealistically 
romanticized.

John O’Korn’s 

underwhelming performances 
against Indiana in 2016 

and against Florida in the 
opener are suddenly being 
chalked up to a case of small 
sample size worthy of further 
experimentation.

Brandon Peters’ 

unexpectedly strong 
performance in Michigan’s 
Spring Game suddenly seems 
very appealing.

Even true freshman 

Dylan McCaffrey is drawing 
intrigue, with talk of 2017 
being a year to rebuild and 
prepare young talent for a 
true title push in 2018.

Harbaugh could trot out 

McCaffrey or Peters and let 
them take their lumps. But in 
all likelihood, a young team 
led by a young quarterback 

would stumble 
to a record that 
isn’t indicative 
of the talent 
the Wolverines 
have.

Or Harbaugh 

could start 
O’Korn. 
The fifth-
year senior 
would take 
snaps under 
center for a 

year before his eligibility is 
exhausted, all in the name 
of stopping the bleeding — if 
he’s even capable of doing so. 

McCaffrey and Peters still 
wouldn’t get the experience 
that seems so appealing to 
many as they look to the 
future.

Then there is Speight. He 

has a year of experience. 
He has a year of eligibility 
left. The Wolverines get 
a quarterback capable of 
leading a roster ample with 
youth, and develop Peters 
and McCaffrey for a year — 
all while Speight continues 
to develop himself.

If, come next year, 

Speight isn’t best suited 
to lead Michigan, then the 
torch still gets passed to 
his successor. And if he is 
Harbaugh’s choice — which 
would speak volumes, as 
it already should — the 
Wolverines have a two-year 
starter leading a crop of 
receivers brimming with 
potential.

In Speight, Michigan 

has a man praised for his 
ability to lead a team when 
faced with adversity — the 
Wolverines being booed 
for the first time in the 
Harbaugh era against 
Cincinnati serving as the 
most recent example.

“Everyone sees it, but 

it doesn’t faze him, so it’s 
not gonna faze us,” Kugler 
said, when asked if the 
team recognizes the 
criticism Speight 
has received. “So 
as long he keeps it 
cool — and I know 
he will — because 
he’s a great leader, 
he’s poised, 
no matter the 
circumstance. He’s 
our quarterback. 
He’s our leader, 
so I’ll follow 
him.”

Added 

fullback 
Khalid 
Hill: 
“Next play, 
that’s just 
his mindset. 
It’s always been his 
mindset, ever since 
he became a starter. I 
appreciate him having 
the mindset of a true 
leader. He leads by 
example and he 
wants everyone 
to do the best 
that they can. I 
applaud him for 
that.”

Last year, 

Speight didn’t 
need to be a 
leader. Enough 
seniors around 
him could 
assume that 
role.

And yet, 

Kugler 
explained, 
Speight led 
anyway. He 
isn’t a “rah-
rah” guy, 
but he is a 
steadying 
force. That 
should be 
more than 
enough on a 
young team 
that will 
be prone 
to making 
mistakes — 
even if Speight 
is making them 
himself.

Santo can be reached at 

kmsanto@umich.edu or on 

Twitter @Kevin_M_Santo.

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight has faced a large share of criticism lately, but that doesn’t change the fact that his coach and his teammates still believe he is the starter for the Wolverines.

KEVIN 
SANTO

The redshirt junior has made uncharacteristic mistakes to open the 
season, but the starting job belongs to him, and it should remain his

“He wants 

everyone to do 
the best that 
they can.”

“I appreciate 
him having the 

mindset of a 
true leader.”

