The Davey O’Brien Award is one that is always looked at a bit more than others come postseason. The honor is given annually to the nation’s top quarterback.
Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight was a semifinalist for the award a season ago. He finds himself on the preseason list of 30 quarterbacks for a second straight year.
.@WiltonSpeight has been named to the Davey O'Brien Award Watch List, recognizing the country’s top quarterback. #GoBlue 〽️🏈 pic.twitter.com/2RGuTIaVhq
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) July 19, 2017
The meteoric rise of Wilton Speight is well-documented. After seeing time primarily as a reserve in 2015, the Richmond, Virginia native found his footing last season, earning the trust of head coach Jim Harbaugh. He will look to build on a junior year where he threw for over 2,500 yards and 18 touchdowns last season.
Speight has already been named to the Maxwell Award preseason watch list, which is given annually to nation’s top overall player.
Of the 30 preseason recipients, Speight is one of three Big Ten quarterbacks to crack the list, joining J.T. Barrett of Ohio State and Trace McSorley of Penn State; Barrett is a two-time semifinalist for the award in his career. You have to go all the way back to 2006 for the last time a Big Ten quarterback took home the honor (Troy Smith, OSU).
Last year’s winner Deshaun Watson repeated as the Davey O’Brien Award honoree. He became the first since former Oklahoma QB Jason White (2003-04) to win the award in consecutive seasons.
