From the Playing Fields of Collegiate...
Think about this.
Two guys from Collegiate, which graduates 65 young men a year, playing on opposing teams in a major, New Year’s Day bowl game.
Unbelievable, you say.
Hardly.
Come January 1 at 1 p.m., Florida with Jake McGee ’10 and Michigan with Wilton Speight ’13 will square off in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL.
Two guys from Collegiate, which graduates 65 young men a year, playing on opposing teams in a major, New Year’s Day bowl game.
Unbelievable, you say.
Hardly.
Come January 1 at 1 p.m., Florida with Jake McGee ’10 and Michigan with Wilton Speight ’13 will square off in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL.
McGee, the much-decorated quarterback who led the Cougars to consecutive state championships but changed positions in college, will line up at tight end for the 10-3 Gators.
Speight, McGee’s much-accomplished successor, will back up starting quarterback Jake Rudock for the 9-3 Wolverines.
Pretty impressive, don’t you think? There’s more, of course.
Let's not forget McGee’s predecessor, a fellow named Russell Wilson. The 2007 graduate has performed quite admirably for the Seattle Seahawks over the past four years. Chances are you’ve heard of him.
“It’s really exciting for our community to have two guys who’ve always had the desire to play Division I football playing in the Citrus Bowl,” said Charlie McFall, who retired in 2013 after a long tenure as athletic director and football coach. “Russell, Jake, and Wilton are lifers, K-12. And we do zero recruiting. Three quarterbacks in a row from Collegiate playing at such a high level. The odds of that are very low.”
After Wilson’s senior season (2006), McFall relinquished the reins of the football program to Mark Palyo, who coached both McGee and Speight.
“When I heard the news about the Citrus Bowl, my first thought was, what are the chances of having two high-quality young men competing at that level?” Palyo said. “They compete with character and class. That’s what Collegiate stands for. As their coach, I’m very proud of what they had as their goals and to know that the camaraderie and bond they had at Collegiate is so much with them now.”
McGee (6-6, 243) played three years for the University of Virginia, earned a B.A. in psychology, and transferred to Florida for his final season of eligibility. In the Gators’ 2014 opener, he fractured his left tibia and fibula and spent eight months rehabbing the injury.
The NCAA granted him a sixth year, and he’s made the most of the opportunity. He’s caught 41 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns. His teammates elected him captain, and, at age 24, he has provided maturity and stability. And through dedication and toughness, he’s enhanced his chances to hear his name called in the National Football League draft
Speight (6-6, 235), who has played in seven games for Michigan, completed 9-of-25 passes for 73 yards.
His SportsCenter moment came in the Wolverines’ 29-26 victory at Minnesota when he relieved Rudock, hit Jeho Chesson for a 12-yard touchdown pass 4:57 from the end, then connected with Amara Darboh for the two-point conversion.
In 2009, McGee led the Cougars to a 10-1 record and second consecutive VISAA title and earned first-team All-Prep, All-State, and All-Metro honors.
His backup was a freshman named…Wilton Speight.
“The biggest thing I took away from Jake was how competitive he was, and obviously still is,” said Speight. “He was always ‘refuse-to-lose.’ I admired that. Football-wise, he was my mentor. When I was in high school and once I got to Michigan, he’s been good about texting me and staying in touch.”
Though news of the Florida-Michigan matchup became public this past Sunday, both teams knew a week ago that it was a possibility.
“It’s pretty cool,” said McGee. “It’ll be exciting to play against somebody you know so well. Being the older guy, I could tell Wilton had a lot of talent and a competitive edge. It was fun to teach him as much as I could, knowing he would be next and had a really bright future. If I influenced or helped him along the way, that means a lot.”
During the winter of 2009-2010, Collegiate’s boys’ basketball team finished 16-8. McGee was “the man” and was voted All-Prep, All-State, and All-Metro.
His daily opponent in drills and scrimmages was – you guessed it – Wilton Speight.
“I despised Jake during practice,” Speight said with a laugh. “He was so good, and I couldn’t do much about it. I would freak out sometimes. Coach (Alex) Peavey probably thought that was hilarious.”
Peavey remembers those encounters well.
“Being so competitive helped both of them and raised the bar for everyone,” he said. “If you’re a teammate and you watch these two guys going at in on a daily basis, you do the same. They saw nothing but the best every day. There was definitely some frustration, but there was a lot of fun as well.”
OK, now, so here's the real question.
Whom does Cougar nation root for on New Year’s Day?
That’s a tough one, to be sure, so let’s just leave it at this.
Jake, Wilton...listen closely.
We’ve cheered for you both. We’re with you, win or lose.
Bring your best. Play your heart out.
You make us proud.
You definitely make proud.
-- Weldon Bradshaw
(Doug Randolph, who is standing two players to McGee's right in the basketball team picture, played football and basketball at Collegiate with McGee and Speight and ultimately transferred to Woodberry Forest. He is now a linebacker for Notre Dame, which plays Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl January 1.)
Back
Speight, McGee’s much-accomplished successor, will back up starting quarterback Jake Rudock for the 9-3 Wolverines.
Pretty impressive, don’t you think? There’s more, of course.
Let's not forget McGee’s predecessor, a fellow named Russell Wilson. The 2007 graduate has performed quite admirably for the Seattle Seahawks over the past four years. Chances are you’ve heard of him.
“It’s really exciting for our community to have two guys who’ve always had the desire to play Division I football playing in the Citrus Bowl,” said Charlie McFall, who retired in 2013 after a long tenure as athletic director and football coach. “Russell, Jake, and Wilton are lifers, K-12. And we do zero recruiting. Three quarterbacks in a row from Collegiate playing at such a high level. The odds of that are very low.”
After Wilson’s senior season (2006), McFall relinquished the reins of the football program to Mark Palyo, who coached both McGee and Speight.
“When I heard the news about the Citrus Bowl, my first thought was, what are the chances of having two high-quality young men competing at that level?” Palyo said. “They compete with character and class. That’s what Collegiate stands for. As their coach, I’m very proud of what they had as their goals and to know that the camaraderie and bond they had at Collegiate is so much with them now.”
McGee (6-6, 243) played three years for the University of Virginia, earned a B.A. in psychology, and transferred to Florida for his final season of eligibility. In the Gators’ 2014 opener, he fractured his left tibia and fibula and spent eight months rehabbing the injury.
The NCAA granted him a sixth year, and he’s made the most of the opportunity. He’s caught 41 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns. His teammates elected him captain, and, at age 24, he has provided maturity and stability. And through dedication and toughness, he’s enhanced his chances to hear his name called in the National Football League draft
Speight (6-6, 235), who has played in seven games for Michigan, completed 9-of-25 passes for 73 yards.
His SportsCenter moment came in the Wolverines’ 29-26 victory at Minnesota when he relieved Rudock, hit Jeho Chesson for a 12-yard touchdown pass 4:57 from the end, then connected with Amara Darboh for the two-point conversion.
In 2009, McGee led the Cougars to a 10-1 record and second consecutive VISAA title and earned first-team All-Prep, All-State, and All-Metro honors.
His backup was a freshman named…Wilton Speight.
“The biggest thing I took away from Jake was how competitive he was, and obviously still is,” said Speight. “He was always ‘refuse-to-lose.’ I admired that. Football-wise, he was my mentor. When I was in high school and once I got to Michigan, he’s been good about texting me and staying in touch.”
Though news of the Florida-Michigan matchup became public this past Sunday, both teams knew a week ago that it was a possibility.
“It’s pretty cool,” said McGee. “It’ll be exciting to play against somebody you know so well. Being the older guy, I could tell Wilton had a lot of talent and a competitive edge. It was fun to teach him as much as I could, knowing he would be next and had a really bright future. If I influenced or helped him along the way, that means a lot.”
During the winter of 2009-2010, Collegiate’s boys’ basketball team finished 16-8. McGee was “the man” and was voted All-Prep, All-State, and All-Metro.
His daily opponent in drills and scrimmages was – you guessed it – Wilton Speight.
“I despised Jake during practice,” Speight said with a laugh. “He was so good, and I couldn’t do much about it. I would freak out sometimes. Coach (Alex) Peavey probably thought that was hilarious.”
Peavey remembers those encounters well.
“Being so competitive helped both of them and raised the bar for everyone,” he said. “If you’re a teammate and you watch these two guys going at in on a daily basis, you do the same. They saw nothing but the best every day. There was definitely some frustration, but there was a lot of fun as well.”
OK, now, so here's the real question.
Whom does Cougar nation root for on New Year’s Day?
That’s a tough one, to be sure, so let’s just leave it at this.
Jake, Wilton...listen closely.
We’ve cheered for you both. We’re with you, win or lose.
Bring your best. Play your heart out.
You make us proud.
You definitely make proud.
-- Weldon Bradshaw
(Doug Randolph, who is standing two players to McGee's right in the basketball team picture, played football and basketball at Collegiate with McGee and Speight and ultimately transferred to Woodberry Forest. He is now a linebacker for Notre Dame, which plays Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl January 1.)
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