The Mindful Journey of Wilton Speight

10/17/2016

Back in September, just before the Michigan Wolverines took to the Big House turf to play Colorado, one of their own – a guy named Tom Brady – delivered a passionate address.

Yes, that Tom Brady, the New England Patriots quarterback, a four-time Super Bowl champ, and one of the outstanding practitioners of his position in the history of the National Football League.

When he joined the brethren at Michigan Stadium that day, he brought instant credibility and star power. As he challenged Coach Jim Harbaugh’s guys position-by-position to play like their esteemed predecessors and bring honor and glory to the Maize and Gold, they listened intently. None more so than Wilton Speight, Collegiate class of 2013.

A 6-6, 245-pound junior, Speight knows the rich tradition of Michigan quarterbacks. He knows the names, among them Chad Henne, Denard Robinson, Brian Griese, Harbaugh, his head coach, and even Brady himself. Following legends? Measuring up? A tall order? Well, yes, but he’s d been there before. This, he surmised, was no different, just higher profile. He’d definitely paid his dues. He could manage. He could definitely manage.

“After the game,” Speight recalled, “a bunch of my teammates, even some coaches, were saying, ‘Hey, did that pre-game speech get in your head? That was kind of out there for him to say, ‘You need to play like Tom Brady.’ I honestly laughed. I said, ‘You have no idea how normal that is for me to hear. I’m almost numb to it.’”

Speight, of course, is the third in a recent line of stellar Collegiate quarterbacks. There was Russell Wilson (2004-2006). Then, there was Jake McGee (2007-2009). Between them, they led the Cougars to four Prep League and five VISAA championships and earned a trophy case full of individual accolades.

During his junior and senior years, Speight threw for 5,879 yards and 68 touchdowns and earned multiple personal honors. Nevertheless, when he arrived at Ann Arbor, he found himself buried in the depth chart, but through diligence, fortitude, persistence, and a calm demeanor that belies an intense competitive drive, he earned the starting job this year.

In six games, he’s completed 98 of 159 passes for 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns against just two interceptions. His success coupled with his friendliness, openness, and humility has made him a media favorite and a familiar name in the college football world. And the Wolverines, who entered the season with sky-high expectations, are 6-0 and ranked third in the latest Associated Press College Football Poll.

“Following Russell and Jake really has me ready for this spotlight,” he said. “It’s a national and worldwide scale now at Michigan. At Collegiate, it felt like the same thing. But it’s not going out and playing better than Tom Brady or Russell Wilson or Jake McGee. It’s going out and playing better than Wilton Speight has ever played.”

One day recently, during Michigan’s bye week before they resume their season Saturday at Illinois, Speight reflected on his goals, his personal style, and his journey.

Your first pass as a starter was an interception against Hawai’i. How were you able to handle that and the media questions so skillfully?

Yeah, that’s obviously been a very popular question, and rightfully so. That was not the way I envisioned my season starting. All I did was shrug it off, forget about it, and move on to the next play. That next drive, we were able to go 98 yards. I threw a touchdown pass, so it was officially behind me. I had one more interception against Wisconsin later in the year, but it’s been one of my main focus points, to take care of the ball. So far, so good.

How much does your mindfulness training that began at Collegiate with Alex Peavey help you?

Without Coach Peavey’s wisdom and guidance, I would not be the player I am today at Michigan. The ability that I have to find little things, whether it’s the sound of my chin strap buckling on or putting my mouth guard in. Working with Coach Peavey to master my mind has helped me get where I am right now. It makes me have short-term memory loss, whether it’s after a good play or bad play.

Talk about the expectations, the external pressures.

You have to remind yourself that it’s still just football, same as the Western Wildcats, same as Cub football and varsity football at Collegiate. The game doesn’t change. The viewers change. The amount of attention you get changes. But it’s the same game. You still have wide receivers. You still have an offensive line. It’s still just the basic game of football. We (the Wolverines) do our best to live up to our expectations. We talk in the locker room and with the coaches. As far as the outside expectations, we have to shut that out and don’t even pay any mind to it.

What areas of your game have you improved in the most?

You know, heading into the summer, I wasn’t really used to people looking to me for answers, at least at the college level. Early on in camp, I had to adjust on the fly and figure out how to be the Wilton that my teammates could believe in. I’m learning. I’m figuring out how to get a locker room of guys to always trust in me. I’m not perfect, but I’m getting better. I get feedback from my teammates. I talk to them. I keep an open line of communication to make sure I’m doing what I need to do to lead these guys each and every week.

Talk about playing in front of 110,000 people and a national TV audience?

Yeah, it’s pretty cool. There’s a lot more attention when I go to the mall or on campus to class. People ask to take pictures and all that, which is awesome. People ask what it’s like to wake up as Michigan’s starting quarterback. The way I look at it, I don’t wake up with that thought crossing my mind. I’m just trying to get better.

What’s the high point so far?

I’d have to say beating (No. 8) Wisconsin (14-7), the fourth-quarter drive, throwing the deep ball to Amara Darboh (whose 46-yard touchdown reception with 7:56 left broke a 7-7 tie). I’ve never heard anything so loud in my life. That’s a moment I’ll never forget. Running down the field to celebrate with my teammates…that was pretty special.

Your teammate Khalid Hill has been quoted as saying, “Wilton is the coolest dude in the huddle.” Is that who you are?

Yeah, I really think so. I never really let any moment rattle me. I never really take time to think about the moment. After the Wisconsin game, one of the reporters asked what was going through my mind when we had this much time on the clock, we hadn’t gotten a third-down conversion since midway through the second quarter, and I hadn’t done this and that...all these scenarios. I was like, I honestly had no ideas about any of those things. I knew we needed to get first downs and score, but I’m not letting all these outside situations mount up in my mind. I think that’s what really helps me stay calm, cool, and collected.

Running the table and winning the national championship must be a top priority. Is that something you can say publicly?

Yeah, yeah. First things first. We need to beat Illinois. That’s our main goal right now. It’s to win each and every week. Beat everyone on our schedule. Get to the Big 10 championship game. Win that. Then go from there. If we focus on our conference, winning that, we’ll let the rest play out. Obviously, we went into the season with the biggest goals possible, and we’re halfway there.

In a recent radio interview aired in Richmond, you talked about your relationship with Coach Harbaugh. It’s really evolved, hasn’t it?

Oh, absolutely, absolutely. The evolution of our relationship with me and the entire coaching staff is night and day compared to what it was when I first got here. We butted heads a lot, disagreed on a lot, never really saw eye-to-eye on the field. Now we do. We’re meshing well. It’s pretty fun.

How did the evolution occur?

You know, I’d say it’s just me putting my head down, working as hard as possible in our off time. Then, when the pads came on, I was a different player.

So it was earning respect?

Yes, essentially. You make plays on the practice field. You make plays on the game field. That pretty much got his respect. It’s a much easier and more enjoyable relationship.

What would you like to tell Cougar Nation?

The support I’ve gotten from the Collegiate community, the Richmond community, means a lot because I had that support long before this starting job, this 6-0 start, and the national attention. It came when I was the third string, the fourth string, the backup, the non-name guy. I just really appreciate the support for Wilton from Collegiate, Wilton from Richmond…just a normal guy.

-- Weldon Bradshaw

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