UCLA names Wilton Speight starting QB

Wilton Speight has been named UCLA’s starting quarterback for the team’s season opening game against Cincinnati on Saturday.

New Bruins head coach Chip Kelly announced the news on Thursday in a highly-anticipated announcement. The Bruins’ quarterback competition was the main topic of conversation around the program following Josh Rosen’s departure for the NFL Draft. Speight transferred to UCLA from Michigan, where he was the Wolverines’ starter until suffering a back injury.

Speight beat out redshirt sophomore Devon Modster, who saw some action last year in place of Rosen, and newcomer Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Speight was by far the most experienced quarterback of the bunch. He started 16 games at Michigan, compared to Modster’s two starts for the Bruins last season. Thompson-Robinson played last year at powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas.

According to the LA Daily News, Speight is the first graduate transfer to start at quarterback for UCLA.