Bryce Speed’s Swiss army knife-like skillset crucial to Windermere’s undefeated start

Here’s the scenario: Windermere High football leads the Colonial Grenadiers by two points with less than a minute to play. Colonial has the ball in its own half of the field and is about to go for it on fourth down in the hopes of getting into field goal range to snatch victory from the Wolverines.

For Windermere, a stop on this down means its offense can get back on the field in victory formation and run out the clock for the win. 

Enter Wolverines senior Bryce Speed. 

Beyond having one of the coolest names a football player can have, Speed is the most versatile player on the Windermere roster, and despite not playing a down at defensive back during the resumed Week Three makeup game, coach Riki Smith sent Speed in at cornerback for this final play. 

For context, on previous plays that drive and the ones prior, Colonial attempted to throw the ball in the direction of Wolverines DB CJ Bronaugh, and, well, the Grenadiers quickly found out that unless you have a Power 4 level receiver lining up opposite Windermere’s 6-foot-1, 175-pound lockdown corner — with offers from Oklahoma, Tennessee, FSU and others — you’re probably not going to get much going in the passing game on Bronaugh’s side of the field. 

Naturally, on the fourth down attempt, Colonial attempted to pass the ball to the opposite side of the field, where Speed was now playing for the first time that night — having lined up solely at receiver during the rest of the game. 

From the outside, the move to slot Speed into the game in such a crucial moment could have seemed risky, but for Smith, it was a no-brainer. 

“I’ve been coaching for a long time, and Bryce Speed is one of the best players that I’ve coached,” Smith said. “He can play every (where): corner, receiver, quarterback, slot, punt returner, kick returner. …  He’s just awesome and when we needed a play, (I told him): ‘Hey, go to corner,’ and he gets the pick.”

Just as Smith drew it up — knowing Colonial would look opposite Bronaugh — the pass went to Speed’s assignment, and the senior iced the game for the Wolverines with an interception. Windermere (6-0) wins, 14-12.

Speed’s the standard

Not only did Speed show his Swiss army knife-like versatility at that moment, which has proven to be crucial throughout Windermere’s special season, but also he showed the type of culture Smith has developed over the past three seasons.

To boil it down, the Wolverines football program is built on the trust Smith and his coaching staff have developed with their players. And again, Speed is a perfect microcosm of that culture. 

In Smith’s tenure at Windermere, beyond caring about his players and developing genuine relationships with them, one of the philosophies he’s implemented that has helped him earn the trust of his players is moving them around to positions he believes best suit them as players and the team. 

Coming into the 2024 season, Smith applied the same thought process to Speed, his returning starter at quarterback. 

“For (Bryce), to play at the next level, he’s going to be a corner or slot receiver,” Smith said. “And I felt, with him being a senior, I had to put him in that situation and give him that opportunity, so he could flourish and (have the chance to) play at the next level.”

Most high school students cannot comprehend the idea of not being the starting quarterback in their senior year after starting under center the previous two seasons. 

Speed, however, is not like most high-schoolers, and his response to Smith was simple: “I just told coach that whatever he thinks will help the team the most, that’s what I want to do,” he said regarding Smith’s approach about a possible change in positions. “I was all-in for it, because we thought it would help the team win, and it did. That’s all I wanted.”

As Speed said, the decision to make the move has proven to be the right one, as the undefeated Wolverines are rolling. 

From Smith’s perspective, the shift is working according to plan, as Speed’s skills as a WR, DB, and returner have been on full display this season. The senior athlete leads Windermere with 920 all-purpose yards, seven total touchdowns and two interceptions on the year. 

“He’s having an outstanding season,” Smith said. “He’s just a great kid (that) I have a special relationship with. (Given) his background and what he’s been through in life, for him to be able to handle it the way he has and come out and play hard every single game, he’s just a really good football player. I’m hoping that he’ll get the opportunity to play at the next level.”

Speed’s secret sauce

Although Speed dabbled playing different positions throughout his Windermere career, the success he has had following the transition from QB to full-time athlete has been a bit of a surprise to those on the outside of the program. 

But for those who have seen Speed operate, his football IQ alone gave them certainty that he would fit into his new role like a glove and develop instant chemistry with new starting quarterback Jack Reilly. 

“(He) and Jack clicked really quickly, and it was just a blessing,” Smith said. “Speed is the heartbeat of this team; he makes the engines go.”

Given Speed’s experience under center, it’s no wonder he quickly became Reilly’s favorite target. 

“It’s been great learning and playing with Jack,” Speed said. “Knowing this offense and what a quarterback is looking for when you drop back, I sort of know where Jack wants to place the ball. Because of that, I have a good sense of where he wants me to be on my routes. We’ve been able to really build trust, not just me, but the entire receiving corps has that trust with Jack now.”