Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. has spent a long time in college, awaiting his opportunity to play in the NFL. Let’s examine Penix’s arduous path to becoming one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, and just how high his ceiling is in the NFL.
Where Did Michael Penix Jr.’s Football Career Start?
Penix was born in Cookeville, Tenn. By the time he reached high school, his family had relocated to Florida. Penix attended Tampa Bay Technical High School.
At Tampa Bay Tech, Penix was the starter for two seasons. Over his two years leading the charge, he threw for 4,243 yards, 61 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Penix’s limited experience starting did not detract from his college prospects. A three-star recruit, Penix received offers from 11 programs.
In February of 2018, Penix chose to enroll at Indiana.
Revisiting Penix’s College Career
Indiana
Things did not go well for Penix to start his college football career. After appearing in just three games as a true freshman, Penix tore his ACL. Since he hadn’t exceeded the playing time threshold, Penix was able to redshirt, retaining another four years of eligibility.
Despite the injury and Penix’s limited action as a true freshman, he won the starting job his redshirt freshman season. Penix threw for 1,394 yards and 10 touchdowns against four interceptions in seven games before he succumbed to injury once again, this time a broken collarbone.
Penix’s third year as a redshirt sophomore was mired by the pandemic. And that wasn’t the only issue. Once again, injury reared its ugly head. Showing clear signs of breaking out in 2020, Penix had thrown for 1,645 yards, 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions before tearing his ACL again.
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When Penix returned in 2021, he did not look like the same player. Somehow, Penix was able to play despite not receiving medical clearance to do so. He started five games, throwing for 939 yards, four touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
On Oct. 2, 2021, Penix separated his shoulder, ending his season. It was his fourth consecutive season-ending injury.
With things at Indiana not working out and four years of school completed, Penix chose to return to school for a fifth season, transferring to Washington.
Washington
For the first time in Penix’s collegiate career, he stayed healthy. In doing so, he finally got a real opportunity to show what he could do.
In 2022, Penix’s redshirt senior season, he played in 13 games and threw for 4,641 yards and 31 touchdowns with eight interceptions while completing 65.3% of his passes.
At this point, Penix’s college career should have been over. However, due to COVID-19 rules, Penix had the option to exercise an extra year of eligibility. He returned to Washington for a sixth collegiate season, betting on himself to raise his NFL Draft profile.
Michael Penix Jr. showing off his speed at @UW_Football’s Pro Day. 💨#GoHuskies | #NFLDraft
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) March 28, 2024
Given Penix’s age and experience, he had no choice but to have a dominant year. Anything less, combined with his lengthy injury history, would likely have led to him going undrafted.
Penix delivered and then some. In 15 games, he threw for 4,903 yards and 36 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. The Huskies went undefeated in the regular season and defeated rival Oregon for a second time in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Unfortunately, Penix and Washington were unable to seriously challenge Michigan in the CFP National Championship Game.
With all years of college eligibility exhausted, Penix declared for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Penix’s Potential in the NFL
Penix’s medical issues are well-documented. There’s no doubt his injury history is going to adversely impact his draft stock. However high Penix does end up going, he probably would’ve gone even higher had he not suffered a medley of injuries early in his college career.
PFN Draft Analyst Ian Cummings believes that if Penix fails at the NFL level, injury is most likely to be the culprit.
“More simply put, if Penix’s medicals are not an issue, there is little stopping him from being a Round 1 pick, and with more development, he could go on to be a successful NFL starter.
“On the field, there is much to like about Penix’s game. He’s a fearless gunslinger with elite drive velocity and arm talent, which he uses to consistently fit passes into tight windows — windows he’s able to pick out with his patience, field vision, and processing ability.
MORE: Ian Cummings’ Full Scouting Report of Michael Penix Jr.
“Take away the big-play generation and risk propensity, and you’re still left with a quality distributor. Penix’s situational precision can improve at times, but he’s generally an accurate passer with great pocket management, discretion, and opportunity identification. And when he needs to put the team on his back, he can with his competitive toughness.
“At his peak, and if he’s able to stay healthy, Penix could be a Matthew Stafford-type of passer at the NFL level. He’s a quality pocket operator with functional mobility who can carve defenses at all levels with his velocity, angle freedom, surgical vision, and predatory passing instincts, and he’s a competitor his teammates can rally around.”
It’s always a concern when a player spends more than four years at college. Penix was at school for six. However, we need to assess each case individually. Penix didn’t remain at college for so long because he wasn’t good — it was because he kept getting hurt. Penix didn’t complete a full season until his fifth year at school.
Nevertheless, he enters the NFL at 24 years old. As an older prospect, he will have less time to navigate rookie growing pains. If Penix can’t both stay healthy and show improvement early in his career, he could end up being passed by rather quickly.
Highlights, Records, and More
Somehow, Penix’s first award was a second-team All-Big Ten spot in 2020. Given that his season ended early due to injury, it’s pretty impressive he earned any sort of honors that year.
Where Penix really started to rack up the accolades was when he got to Washington. In 2022, he was named AP Comeback Player of the Year.
Penix earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors in both of his years at Washington. He was a First-Team All-American in 2023. However, CFN placed Penix on its third team.
In 2023, Penix’s all-time single-season Washington passing yards record helped propel him to being a Heisman finalist. While he finished second to LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Penix did win the Maxwell Award.
With no shortage of personal accomplishments, Penix undoubtedly has the tools to be a highly successful NFL QB. Hopefully, he can stay healthy and land in a spot where he can play early and receive the coaching he needs to realize his potential.
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