Michigan passing coordinator Pep Hamilton: ‘We’ll find a way to put our guys in position to make plays’

Michigan passing game coordinator coach Pep Hamilton spoke on Wednesday at Signing of the Stars. He made comments about the offense, but specifically quarterbacks Wilton Speight and Dylan McCaffrey.

“I’m looking forward to giving Wilton (Speight) a chance to pick up where he left off,” Hamilton said. “I know that he didn’t finish the season the way he wanted to. You can’t teach experience. He played a ton of good football, as well as the rest of the guys who are returning in the offensive unit, which there’s only a few. We’ll find a way to put our guys in position to make plays.”

During the 2016 season, Speight completed 204-of-331 passes for 2,538 yards for 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound quarterback will return for the 2017 season, but will be without top wide receivers Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh, along with tight end Jake Butt. The trio of pass catchers have graduated and will be in the 2017 NFL Draft.

“We’re looking forward to Dylan McCaffrey and the group of guys coming in,” Hamilton said. “We’re looking for our guys to lead us to victory.”

To replace Chesson and Darboh, the Wolverines will look to many true freshmen wide receivers Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tarik Black, Oliver Martin, and Brad Hawkins. As for replacing Butt, tight ends Devin Asiasi and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. will fill his void.

The hiring of Hamilton was announced in December, as he replaced Jedd Fisch, who is now the offensive coordinator at UCLA.