Pro Football Focus Ranks Indiana's Michael Penix Jr. the No. 5 QB in the Country
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The 2021 college football season is inching closer, and while the starting rosters are all but finalized, Indiana has its starting quarterback set in stone.
Pro Football Focus used its advanced college database, coupled with scheme and film review, to rank all the starting quarterbacks for the 130 programs in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Hoosiers' starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. ranked among the best in the nation and sits atop the Big Ten.
Penix was ranked as the No. 5 signal-caller in the country, trailing only Oklahoma's Spencer Rattler, North Carolina's Sam Howell, Miami's D'Eriq King and UCF's Dillon Gabriel.
His ranking falls under what PFF calls a high-ceiling quarterback.
"Quarterbacks in this tier come in all shapes and sizes. Some have either one or multiple seasons of high-level play for their respective schools, while others have either only flashed the ability or are inexperienced with the tools and ecosystem to get there. In addition, only a select few of these passers have the ability to push for a spot in the first tier of elite college quarterbacks."
In three seasons with the Indiana football program, Penix owns a 10-2 record as a starter. In 2020, he started all six games he appeared in before suffering a season-ending ACL injury in a win against Maryland.
Penix completed 124 of his 220 passes for 1,645 yards and 14 touchdowns before his injury. He threw just four interceptions and averaged a Big Ten-leading 274.2 yards per game.
Despite limited action, he was named second-team All-Big Ten and honored as Indiana's Anthony Thompson Most Valuable Player. Should Penix return to full health in 2021, he'll be among the top quarterbacks in the nation.
Here's where every starting quarterback in the Big Ten Conference landed, according to PFF:
- No. 5: Michael Penix Jr., Indiana
- No. 20: C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
- No. 26: Graham Mertz, Wisconsin
- No. 36: Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
- No. 37: Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
- No. 60: Jack Plummer / Aidan O'Connell, Purdue
- No. 62: Payton Thorne / Anthony Russo, Michigan State
- No. 70: Cade McNamara / Alan Bowman, Michigan
- No. 75: Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
- No. 88: Sean Clifford, Penn State
- No. 94: Noah Vedral, Rutgers
- No. 96: Brandon Peters, Illinois
- No. 112: Spencer Petras, Iowa
- No. 116: Ryan Hilinski, Northwestern
PFF's Analysis of Indiana QB Michael Penix Jr.
"Despite playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in college football in 2020, Penix managed an 82.9 PFF grade in six starts before tearing his ACL in Week 13. Only four other FBS quarterbacks spent a higher rate of their dropbacks under pressure than Penix (41%), yet the Hoosier overcame that to put together quality play. He remained calm in collapsing pockets, converting pressure to sacks at an astronomically low rate of 7.4%, the best mark in the FBS.
None of this is surprising after what we saw from Penix back in 2019 when he posted an 84.0 PFF grade across six starts. And while his accuracy wasn't quite as consistent as it was in 2019, he still produced plus results in that area in 2020, ranking 19th in the FBS in the percentage of accurate passes thrown 10-plus yards downfield.
Penix ended up leading all Power Five quarterbacks in big-time throw rate this past season and established himself as one of the top passers in the country before the injury. As long as he can stay healthy, the Hoosiers can be a top-10 team again in 2021."
Stories Related to Indiana Football
- FAVORITE GAMES, NUMBER 4: Indiana had beaten Michigan only once in 40 tries, but that all changed in November when the Hoosiers pushed them all over the Memorial Stadium field and won 38-21 for their third straight victory to start the season. CLICK HERE
- D.J. MOORE COMMITS TO INDIANA: Indiana has moved into the top-20 nationally in 2022 recruiting after standout offensive lineman D.J. Moore of Fort Wayne, Ind., committed on Monday. CLICK HERE
- AARON STEINFELDT IS STAYING HOME: Freshman tight end Aaron Steinfeldt had a great multi-sport career at Bloomington North, but now he's ready to focus solely on football right up the road at Indiana. CLICK HERE
