Robert Wilton Speight III (born December 6, 1994) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for the
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...
and
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...
. In high school he was a 2014
Under Armour All-America Game
The Under Armour High School All-America Game is a high school football all-star game typically held in early January in the U.S. state of Florida created to spotlight the nation’s top high school seniors. The game was first played on January 5, ...
selection and subsequently played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for the
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...
. Speight redshirted in 2014 and was the backup quarterback in
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
. As a redshirt sophomore in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, he started 12 games and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors. In
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, Speight started four games before suffering a season-ending injury. In April 2018, Speight transferred to
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
.
Early years
Speight was born in
Henrico County, Virginia
Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,389 making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia. Henrico County is incl ...
, on December 6, 1994.
His father, Robert Wilton Speight, Jr., played
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
, and his grandfather,
Robert Wilton Speight, Sr., was a second-team All-American basketball player in
1953
Events
January
* January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma.
* January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo.
* January 14
** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...
who later had his jersey retired at
NC State
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...
.
[ Speight is the oldest of three brothers; his younger brothers are Griffin and Jess.] Jess, earned a scholarship as a third year defensive lineman at Michigan.
Speight played high school football and basketball for Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
. He was a highly recruited Virginia high school athlete who was being recruited by the likes of Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...
until a severe collarbone injury during the first game of his fall 2011 junior season that required a metal plate and eight screws to repair caused most schools to lose interest in him. Speight had previously had a medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament (MCL), or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. Its primary function is to resist out ...
injury.[ Speight hired quarterback guru ]Steve Clarkson
Steven Levert "Steve" Clarkson (born October 31, 1961) is an American football coach. Based in Pasadena, California, he is considered a top quarterback coach. Clarkson has tutored Ben Roethlisberger, Brett Hundley, Matt Leinart, J. P. Losman, Gin ...
to help him regain his form and posted 2,900 yards and 32 touchdowns in ten games during the 2012 season. He was unranked by most services at the time. A few months later after player rankings were reassessed following his second chance at his junior season in 2012, he was the number 7 ranked quarterback in the national class of 2014 according to ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
. Other ratings services also returned him to their class of 2014 rankings: 16 by Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
and 21 by Scout.com
Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...
following his reclassification.[ Speight appeared in the 2014 ]Under Armour All-America Game
The Under Armour High School All-America Game is a high school football all-star game typically held in early January in the U.S. state of Florida created to spotlight the nation’s top high school seniors. The game was first played on January 5, ...
, completing two of six passes for 63 yards. He started at quarterback and served as team captain.
In 2014, Speight was named the Collegiate School's Outstanding Senior Athlete, an award given to the "senior boy who has contributed most to the athletic program through leadership, cooperation, sportsmanship and ability."
College career
Michigan
Commitment and redshirt season
In early February 2013, Speight received a scholarship offer, and promptly verbally committed, to play college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at the University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. On October 16, 2013, he signed his early enrollment letter. In January 2014, he enrolled early at Michigan. He attended Michigan's spring camp in March 2014 under coach Brady Hoke
Brady Patrick Hoke (; born November 3, 1958) is an American football coach in his second stint as the head coach at San Diego State University. He was previously the head coach at the University of Michigan from 2011 to 2014.
Hoke grew up in O ...
. Speight redshirted
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
his entire freshman season for the 2014 Wolverines as fifth-year senior Devin Gardner
Devin Jaymes Gardner (born December 14, 1991) is a former American football quarterback. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New England Patriots. He played professionally in Japan for two seasons.
Gardner was the starting quarterba ...
led the team.[
]
2015 season
As a redshirt freshman for the 2015 Wolverines, Speight began the season as a backup to Jake Rudock
Jacob Michael Rudock ( ; born January 21, 1993) is a former American football quarterback who played for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was the starting quarterback for the 2013 and 2014 Iowa Hawkeyes and 2015 Michigan ...
and Shane Morris
Shane Ryan Morris (born August 4, 1994) is a former American football quarterback. He was a highly touted five-star prospect from De La Salle Collegiate High School in Warren, Michigan, until he endured mononucleosis midway through his senior se ...
. Speight made his Michigan debut on September 12, 2015, taking kneel-down snaps in the closing minutes of a victory over Oregon State
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
. Asked why he played Speight instead of Morris at the end of the Oregon State game, head coach Jim Harbaugh
James Joseph Harbaugh (; born December 23, 1963) is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current and 20th head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines. He played college football at Michigan from 1983 to 1986. He play ...
explained that he did not want to burn Morris's redshirt year on a meaningless snap, emphasizing that Morris remained his No. 2 quarterback.
Harbaugh ultimately decided to redshirt Morris during the 2015 season, resulting in Speight seeing playing time as Rudock's principal backup. Speight failed to complete a pass in three attempts against UNLV
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes the S ...
on September 19 and in his only pass attempt against Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
on October 3, 2015.
Speight received his first significant playing time on October 31, 2015, in the Little Brown Jug rivalry game against Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. After Rudock was injured in the third quarter, Speight came into the game. With five minutes remaining and Michigan trailing 26–21, Speight led Michigan on a game-winning drive culminating in 12-yard pass to wide receiver Jehu Chesson
Jehu Femi Chesson II (born December 29, 1993) is a Liberian professional American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Michigan, and was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2017 NF ...
and a pass to wide receiver Amara Darboh
Amara Darboh (born February 1, 1994) is an Sierra Leonean-born American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. He played college football at Michigan Wolverines ...
for a two-point conversion
In gridiron football, a two-point conversion or two-point convert is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that just scored must run ...
. Speight completed three of six passes for 29 yards and one rush for six yards. The two-point conversion gave Michigan a three-point lead that forced Minnesota into a decision to attempt to score a touchdown on the goal line as time expired. Speight had not completed any pass
Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to:
Places
*Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland
* Pass, Poland, a village in Poland
*Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see List of straits
*Mountain pass, a lower place in a mountai ...
es prior to that game. Harbaugh explained that Speight had earned the backup role in practice in the preceding weeks.
Speight next saw significant playing time against Ohio State on November 28, 2015. After Rudock was injured on a sack by Joey Bosa
Joseph Anthony Bosa (born July 11, 1995) is an American football outside linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State and was selected third overall by the (then San Di ...
, Speight came into the game and completed six of 14 passes for 44 yards, but also threw his first college interception on a pass tipped and caught by Bosa.[ Speight finished his redshirt freshman season with nine completions in 25 attempts, one interception, one touchdown pass, 145 passing yards, and a 36% ]completion percentage
The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see ''Glossary of Canadian football''.
0–9
...
.[
]
2016 season
Michigan's 2016 spring practice featured a quarterback battle between Speight, redshirt junior John O'Korn
John August O'Korn (born November 22, 1994) is a former American football quarterback. After attending St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he led his team to the 2012 FHSAA 7A state high school title, O'Korn chose ...
, redshirt junior Shane Morris
Shane Ryan Morris (born August 4, 1994) is a former American football quarterback. He was a highly touted five-star prospect from De La Salle Collegiate High School in Warren, Michigan, until he endured mononucleosis midway through his senior se ...
, true freshman Brandon Peters
Michael Brandon Peters (born October 15, 1997) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Michigan Wolverines football, Michigan before transferring to Illinois Fighting Illini football, Illinois.
Hig ...
and redshirt freshman Alex Malzone. After spring practice, press reports indicated that Speight, O'Korn and Morris were leading the competition, in that order. O'Korn and Speight were the starters in the April 1 spring game. Speight passed for a touchdown and ran for another leading his team to a 14–13 win.
In August 2016, Speight and O'Korn entered training camp as Michigan's quarterback frontrunners. Coach Harbaugh refused to reveal the identity of his starting quarterback prior to the opening game. On September 3, 2016, Speight was named the starting quarterback. In the opening game, Speight led Michigan to a 63–3 victory over Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
. On Michigan's first play from scrimmage, Speight threw an interception on an attempted screen pass to Jake Butt
Jonathan Duane "Jake" Butt (born July 11, 1995) is a former American football tight end and current football analyst for the Big Ten Network. He played college football at Michigan. As a junior, he won the Ozzie Newsome Award. He was selected a ...
. For the game, he completed 10 of 13 passes for 145 yards with three touchdown passes and one interception.
In his second start on September 10 against UCF
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...
, Speight completed 25 of 37 passes for 312 yards with four touchdown passes and no interceptions to earn Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.
On October 1, Speight's tiebreaking fourth quarter touchdown pass to Amara Darboh
Amara Darboh (born February 1, 1994) is an Sierra Leonean-born American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. He played college football at Michigan Wolverines ...
against #8-ranked Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
lifted Michigan to its first win against a top-10 opponent since the 2008 Wolverines beat the 2008 Badgers, ending a streak of 12 consecutive such losses.
After leading Michigan to a 9–0 start with a 59–3 victory in his career-high 362-yard passing performance against Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
on November 5, Speight and Michigan lost to Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
14–13 on November 12.
Two days later, it was reported that Speight had endured a broken collarbone during the game and was feared lost for the rest of the season.
However, after missing one game against Indiana, Speight returned to the lineup to start against Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
in the rivalry game
Pairs of schools, colleges and universities, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, often establish a college rivalry with each other over the years. This rivalry can extend to both ...
. He posted 2 touchdowns, but had 2 interceptions and a critical fumble in the double-overtime loss. Following the season, Speight was the third team All-Big Ten quarterback selection by both the coaches and the media (behind J. T. Barrett
Joe Thomas Barrett IV (born January 23, 1995) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is currently an offensive assistant for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State ...
and Trace McSorley
Richard Thomas "Trace" McSorley III (born August 23, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State, and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens ...
).
During the 2016 Capital One Orange Bowl, Speight and the Michigan offense struggled to generate offense against a dominant Florida State
Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
defensive line. Michigan managed just 6 points in the first half on two field goals (from kicker Kenny Allen). Michigan rallied late in the game, including Speight's only throwing touchdown of the night, eventually taking a 30–27 lead with 1:57 remaining in the game. The lead was short-lived as Michigan gave up the game-winning touchdown with just 36 seconds remaining in the game. The ensuing Michigan possession ended with Florida State intercepting a Speight pass and running out the clock for a Florida State victory (33–32). For the game, Speight completed 21 of 38 passes (55.3%) for 163 yards with one touchdown and one interception. In 12 starts, Speight finished the year with 2,538 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, and completed 61.6 percent of his passes.
2017 season
Speight entered training camp in a quarterback competition against redshirt senior O'Korn and redshirt freshman Peters and additional competition from true freshman Dylan McCaffrey, redshirt sophomore Alex Malzone, and Mike Sessa.
He won the competition and started Michigan's opener against Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
on September 2, beating the Gators 33–17.
However, Speight endured a back injury on September 23 against Purdue
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
, causing him to be sidelined for several weeks.
On November 13, head coach Jim Harbaugh stated that Speight was cleared to participate in non-contact football activities.
On November 26, 2017, Speight announced he would be transferring from Michigan to play as a graduate transfer at another school.
UCLA
2018 season
On April 12, 2018, Speight announced he would be transferring to UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
for his final year of eligibility. On August 30, 2018, it was announced that Speight had been named by Head Coach Chip Kelly
Charles Edward Kelly (born November 25, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the UCLA Bruins. He came to prominence as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks from 2009 to 2012, whom he led to four consecutive BCS bowl game a ...
to be the starting quarterback for the Bruins' season opener against the University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...
. Unfortunately, Speight suffered a back injury in the opener (an eventual 26–17 loss) and had to be replaced with true freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Dorian Trevor Thompson-Robinson (born November 14, 1999), also known by his initials DTR, is an American football quarterback for the UCLA Bruins. He has been a two-time second-team all-conference selection in the Pac-12 (2020, 2021).
Early yea ...
in the 2nd quarter.
Speight did not see game action again until the Bruins' matchup with the Arizona Wildcats
The Arizona Wildcats are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Divis ...
on October 20. True freshman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson suffered an injury in the second quarter, and Speight came in to take his place. Speight completed 17 of 27 passes for 204 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, as the Bruins defeated the Wildcats, 31–30. On November 10, Speight posted a season-high 335 yards passing and 2 touchdowns in a 31–28 loss to Arizona State
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
.
On November 17, Speight completed 13 of 22 passes for 166 yards, one touchdown, and one interception as UCLA defeated its crosstown rival, the USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...
, 34–27. Speight also rushed for a touchdown against the Trojans.
Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft
The 2019 NFL Draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. The first round was held on April 2 ...
, Speight signed with the San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. He was waived during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019.
See also
*Michigan Wolverines football statistical leaders
The lists of Michigan Wolverines football statistical leaders identify individual statistical leaders of the Michigan Wolverines football program in various offensive categories, including passing, rushing, and receptions. Within those areas ...
References
External links
Michigan profile
UCLA profile
Speight
at ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including: ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Speight, Wilton
1994 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
Michigan Wolverines football players
San Francisco 49ers players
UCLA Bruins football players
Under Armour All-American football players
Players of American football from Richmond, Virginia