Indiana Transfer QB Penix on the UW: 'I'm Surrounded by a Lot of Positivity'
Michael Penix Jr. never forgot 2019 and his lone college football season with Kalen DeBoer at Indiana.
Penix was a redshirt freshman quarterback and a six-game starter. DeBoer was the Hoosiers offensive coordinator who oversaw him and a wide-open attack that finished third in the Big Ten in total yards.
Together, they helped the Hoosiers win eight games, the most for the school in 26 seasons, and advance to the Gator Bowl.
Then just like that, DeBoer was gone, hired away as the head coach at Fresno State.
This past winter, Penix chose to leave Indiana after he was injured for a fourth time in four seasons and the once ascending Big Ten program skidded to a demoralizing 2-10 record.
He entered the transfer portal, saw that DeBoer was headed to Washington and let the coach know he was available through William Inge, a former defensive coach at Indiana and Fresno State and now with the Huskies.
"I just felt we had a good connection and I loved the offense," said Penix, a native of Tampa, Florida, who speaks with a soft Southern drawl.
While the Huskies were coming off a 4-8 season, he remembered how everything clicked in the DeBoer offense and it was more than enough to bring him to Seattle, first for a visit and then to stay.
"When he brought it to us at Indiana, I felt like just the spread offense, just getting the ball out of my hand, I felt comfortable," he said. "Every throw I made I felt 100 percent comfortable with. I always know that they're going to at least try to get us in the best situation."
Penix finds himself in a quarterback battle unmatched at most programs around the country. He's one of three players, along with sophomore Dylan Morris and redshirt freshman Sam Huard, who have started as a college signal-caller.
They're well-decorated, too. Penix was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2020. Morris was honorable mention All-Pac-12 that same year. Huard was a 5-star recruit.
"This is the best opportunity, coming up here on the visit and meeting some of the guys — they're great guys," he said. "We've got a lot of great athletes here, as well. I feel like I'm surrounded by a lot of positivity. It's definitely going to pay off in the end."
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