The club’s Academy of Light has had some notable graduates down the years, including former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and current England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
This year, Rigg, still not 18 until next month, was named best young player in the Championship along with team-mate Jobe Bellingham, still only 19.
The younger brother of England and Real Madrid superstar Jude, Bellingham represents the plan of bringing other young players to the Stadium of Light to develop and embed into the team.
Speakman moved into his role at Sunderland in 2020 from Birmingham City when the Wearside club was still in League One.
He has seen the Black Cats recover from four seasons in the third tier to reach this position with the Premier League within touching distance.
“The journey over the last five years has been a difficult one,” he said. “It hasn’t been linear in terms of how our progress has gone.
“We’ve lived and breathed what we feel our strategy should be and some of those really important principles.
“One of those is the integration of young players. So if we are able to win, it would be a spectacular moment.”