The Wolverine

May 2017 Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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MAY 2017 THE WOLVERINE 21 QUARTERBACKS Redshirt junior Wilton Speight hasn't gone unchallenged, because head coach Jim Harbaugh is all about competition. But Speight has been in charge, given the year of starting un- der his belt, in a 10-win season produc- ing the aforementioned numbers. "It's been outstanding," offensive co- ordinator Tim Drevno said of Speight's overall spring effort. "Wilton has done a great job of leading this team, lead- ing the offense. He's really progressed under [new passing game coordinator] Pep Hamilton. "Pep and Coach [Jim Harbaugh] have really done a good job with his football awareness, seeing the whole field and reading the coverages. There are some protection things we're lay- ering on. He's just done a really good job of understanding and a great job of leading us." That said, Speight has some scores to settle from last season, including mak- ing more plays to get Michigan over the top in close games. He watches every snap in review and is more ac- quainted with them than anyone. He's been under the direction of Hamilton this spring, so there's plenty to grasp and tweak. "He sees the game kind of like I do," Speight said. "We always talk in post-snap: that was the right place to go, or I should have gone somewhere else. It's been really cool learning from him." Speight also noted the change from Jedd Fisch to Hamilton hasn't been a jarring one. "With the head man being so closely tied to quarterbacks, it's been hit the ground running with Coach Pep," he noted. "There are slight differences, but they both are tremendous coaches." Harbaugh said of Speight, two days before the spring game: "He's been good. He's progressed well, and it's very important to him. He's ratch- eting up his game as you'd expect in terms of mental processes. He's hungry to learn more and more. He's been impressive … he's a very sharp individual." Then came the spring game curve- ball, one that left the 57,418 in atten- dance on April 15 thinking they might be witnessing a coup at The Big House. While Speight struggled under heavy pressure (9-of-26 passing for 78 yards with two interceptions, in- cluding a 100-yard pick-six), redshirt freshman Brandon Peters went 9 of 17 for 160 yards, with a 55-yard touch- down throw and a 12-yard TD run of his own. Harbaugh has called Peters "a nat- ural," and Speight praised him after the game, saying, "Peters played a tre- mendous game today. He's been doing well all spring, since the first practice. Really, since bowl practice last year, he really kicked it into high gear. That's how he's been looking all spring. It's encouraging, for all of us." That said, Speight acted like the starter, fully ready to fix the one-day issues. "Obviously, I'd like to have those two throws back, where I was trying to force it into a small window, trying to make a play where there probably wasn't a play to be made," Speight said. "As a veteran, I hold myself to a standard that I shouldn't make those mistakes, but they happen and you learn from them." Fifth-year senior John O'Korn got into eight games last year and drew the start against Indiana when Speight was injured late in the season. O'Korn went 7-of-16 passing for 59 yards and broke off a 30-yard run in that game last fall. He completed 3 of 6 passes for 60 yards and a touchdown in the spring game while tacking on 42 rushing yards. OFFENSIVE LINE There's plenty of upheaval here, and it didn't start in the spring. When sophomore left tackle Grant New- some went down with a knee injury against Wisconsin, it set in motion changes that continue to affect the U-M line. Newsome won't be ready to go for fall, Harbaugh acknowledged recently, and Michigan spent plenty of time this spring with senior Mason Cole there, where he played as a freshman and sophomore. Whereas he anchored the line at center in 2016, he might be pressed into service on the outside again. That opens the door for fifth-year senior Pat Kugler to step in at center, or perhaps true freshman Cesar Ruiz. Sophomore Ben Bredeson started as a freshman at left guard, and he could remain in place, while sophomore Michael Onwenu and redshirt sopho- more Jon Runyan will battle it out at right guard, the edge appearing to go to Onwenu. Redshirt junior Juwann Bushell-Be- atty, redshirt freshman Stephen Span- ellis and redshirt sophomore Nolan Ulizio are all candidates for a tackle spot — or two tackle positions, if Cole happened to remain at center. Bushell- Beatty did not play in the spring game, but could come out of spring ball the leader at right tackle. In the spring game, Cole played at left tackle. He noted he's more than Redshirt junior Wilton Speight is looking to improve on a season in which he was third- team All-Big Ten and threw for 2,538 yards and 18 touchdowns against seven interceptions. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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