It’s not uncommon for offensive or defensive linemen – maybe even a fullback or running back – to drop a few pounds before the start of a football season. Rarely though, do you associate a quarterback with cutting weight.

That’s the case at Michigan. Quarterback Wilton Speight didn’t just lose a couple pounds, either. He dropped a whole lot of them.

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Speight said that he’s lost 23 pounds since last season. And though that may seem like quite a few for a signal-caller, he says he’s seeing the benefits on the field.

“I feel a lot quicker coming from under center being able to finesse around the pocket and maybe get more than two or three yards like I did last year,” Speight said, according to the Detroit News.

But how, exactly, was the 6-foot-6 Speight able to cut so much weight in the offseason? He had a pretty good answer for that.

“I just got really strict with my diet, only really ate animals and things from the ground,” Speight said. “Stayed away from the processed foods, stuff like that. And became really strict with it and upped the cardio a little bit.”

A slimmer Speight still isn’t going to be a huge threat on the ground, but he might be able to side-step pursuing defenders a little easier and, as he said, be able to churn out a few extra yards with his feet this season.