Earning Respect

Actually, there were many moments.

 

There was the constant onslaught of “a-gile, mo-bile, and hos-tile” Florida State defenders who bore down on him from all angles despite his best efforts to elude them.

 

There was the halftime soul-searching session when the offensive linemen said, in so many words, Enough is enough.

 

There was the Wolverines’ thrilling fourth-quarter comeback, which the 6-6, 243-pound redshirt sophomore, a 2013 Collegiate School graduate, played a huge role in orchestrating. There was a short-lived 30-27 lead with 1:57 to go. There was that painful, hollow feeling after the Seminoles eked out a 33-32 victory thanks to a touchdown at 0:36.

 

The transcendent moment, though, one that will stick with Speight when the memory of the others has faded, occurred early in the game, just after the referee’s whistle ended yet another withering assault by a phalanx of Seminoles.

        

“In the first half,” Speight said, “there’d be three or four guys in the backfield trying to tackle me, and I’d try to dodge them. One time, DeMarcus Walker, Number 44, who’ll probably be a first-round draft pick, grabbed me around the shoulders after the play, laughing, and said, ‘I didn’t know you were this big and this shifty.’

        

“That was cool. I said (to myself), OK, if they realize that now, I can keep doing this the rest of the game. That’s what I tried to do.”

 

What Speight had really done was earn the grudging respect of a fierce, relentless, determined adversary. It’s yet another chapter in the ongoing narrative. Earning respect of teammates, coaches, opponents, media, and fans, you see, has been a rewarding, heartwarming by-product of his lustrous season at the helm.

 

During the summer, Speight won the starting quarterback job following a tough, four-way competition. His diligence and mental and physical toughness gave him his opportunity. He never relinquished it.

 

He completed 204 of 331 passes for 2,538 yards and 18 touchdowns against only seven interceptions and led the Wolverines to a 10-3 record and No. 10 ranking in the final Associated Press Poll. He was selected third-team All-Big 10 as well as his team’s most improved player. He was a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Quarterback Award, which ultimately went to Clemson’s Deshaun Watson.

        

“Honestly, it’s a dream come true,” he said of his and the Wolverines’ accomplishments. “I count my blessings every day. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

 

Speight has returned to Ann Arbor to begin the new semester. He’s enjoying the more temperate pace of life and eagerly anticipating off-season workouts to prepare for the ‘17 season, which will undoubtedly bring high expectations for him and the Wolverines.

 

This past Thursday afternoon, he spoke of his experiences and shared his perspective. The following are excerpts from our conversation.

 

 

They have one of the most talented lines and (corps of) linebackers in the country. They caught us off guard a little bit. We just knew we had to toughen up and stick to our game plan. (At halftime) Coach (Tim) Drevno (offensive coordinator) made some line protection changes in terms of keeping an extra guy in the block. The running backs were more attentive about staying in the backfield to block.

 

 

It stung. The (30-27 double-overtime) loss to Ohio State (in the last regular-season game) stung more. It still does. That bad taste in your mouth will never go away. It’s a bummer that we have to wait eight months to get back into competition versus other schools.

        

You just have to look at winter conditioning, spring ball, and 7-on-7 (summer workouts) as competition to get that taste out of your mouth. You have to make every day its own completion. It might not be versus another team, but you can make it versus yourself.

 

I did a lot of reflecting. I got back to the team hotel around 1 a.m. I couldn’t fall asleep until 7 or 7:30. It was the adrenaline and my mind thinking about certain plays.

        

I slept for a couple of hours, woke up, had breakfast with (passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach) Jedd Fisch. He talked to me about how proud I should be for my season and my performance the night before. Then he, unfortunately, expressed to me that he was probably going to take a job elsewhere (offensive coordinator at UCLA) because he wanted to continue to grow in his career. That was tough.

 

My girlfriend (Ani Sarkisian) was down there. She’s on the soccer team. She’s played in a lot of big games. She understands how to handle situations after a game. That’s been helpful all year, especially down there in Miami. I had 43 friends and family at the game. My family has gotten very good at giving me my space and making me feel good.

 

Coach (Jim Harbaugh) gave us the opportunity to fly back on the team jet or stay in Miami or go home with our families. I stayed in Miami until January 4. It was nice to go to the beach, sit by the pool, and let my body and mind regroup. I left there feeling rejuvenated.

 

In the Hawaii game (the Wolverines’ opener), I wasn’t used to the spotlight, the attention, the expectations. As the weeks went by, I got more accustomed to it. I was able to adjust and lead my guys the best way I could. I used the bowl practice to do the same. That’s what I’m going to do now. It’s January 2017. It’s the start of next football season, the start of game planning for University of Florida (September 2 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX).

 

I’m just going to keep working to deserve my spot…not earn it but deserve it. That’s my off-season plan: continue to learn and improve my knowledge on leadership. Read books and articles about that. Hopefully get in touch with some NFL players this offseason.

 

I know all four or five other scholarship quarterbacks we have here will be working every day. Nobody wants to be the backup or the third string or the fourth string. Everybody wants to start.

 

We didn’t finish the season the way we wanted at Ohio State. There were two other quarterbacks who were viewed or ranked higher than I was this season. That’s a personal goal of mine: to be the best Big Ten quarterback and hopefully in the country as well. It’s a long way to go, a long journey, but it all starts with day-in, day-out work.

 

When I was a kid, I went to every NC State game. I remember watching (former Wolfpack and current San Diego Chargers quarterback) Philip Rivers every single Saturday (and thinking) That’s all I want in life. In the Big House or at an away game, during every National Anthem, I stand there and wonder if there’re any young Wilton Speights out there looking at me the way I looked at Philip Rivers and saying, One day, that’s all I want.

       -- Weldon Bradshaw