Penix on the QB Competition: 'It Was Just Real Tough'
Michael Penix Jr. neither gloated nor bragged about winning the University of Washington starting quarterback job as reporters pressed around him on all sides.
On Tuesday, the Indiana transfer simply stood in this pocket and showed just the right amount of humility after coming out on top in a three-player competition with Dylan Morris and Sam Huard that lasted 30 practices through the spring and the fall.
Penix will be in the lineup when the Huskies open the season on Sept. 3 against Kent State, a game that will mark the beginning of the Kalen DeBoer coaching era at the UW, as well.
"It was a long process," Penix said. "It was very hard-working. There was a lot of sweat and blood and tears put into it. It was just real tough."
Penix returns as a college football starter after opening the first five games for his Big Ten team last season and going down on Oct. 2 against Penn State with a season-ending left shoulder injury.
It marked the fourth time in his four seasons at Indiana that he suffered either a shoulder or knee injury and couldn't play out the schedule.
Penix next entered the transfer portal, looking for a new school where he would have two seasons of eligibility remaining. He and DeBoer had spent the 2019 season together as quarterback and offensive coordinator for the Hoosiers, bringing an instant connection to this football courtship.
"When I was making that decision, I was just going with my heart," Penix said. "I just wanted to be somewhere where I felt I would be comfortable to be able to become a better person and become a better player. This was definitely a shot.
"Being under Coach DeBoer once before, I knew some of the things he brings to the table and how he wants things to run. I wanted to be part of that."
After reporting for spring ball, the 6-foot-3, 213-pound newcomer from Tampa, Florida, began competing with Morris, a 6-foot, 197-pound sophomore from Puyallup, Washington, and Huard, a 6-foot-2, 193-pound redshirt freshman from Kirkland, Washington, for the No. 1 role.
Morris started all but one game of the previous two seasons for the Huskies, going 7-8 as the offensive leader. Huard got a lone starting opportunity in the Apple Cup against Washington State, the one game Morris sat out.
"I felt I had a slight advantage in knowing some of the playbook, but those guys dialed into it real fast," Penix said.
"They made a lot of great things happen on the football field."
Penix, who was 12-5 as the Indiana starter, has an impressive resume: 2019 second-team All-Big Ten quarterback, a 5-TD, 491-yard passing effort at Ohio State, 20 consecutive completions at Michigan State and victories over Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State.
Against the Nittany Lions, he drove his team for a tying touchdown that he ran in with 22 seconds remaining, threw a scoring pass in the overtime to match the opponent and then won the game 36-35 by scoring on a two-point run.
"I feel like we're going to make a lot of special things happen here," Penix said.
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and DeBoer informed the three quarterbacks of their decision on Monday and shared it with the rest of the team a day later.
Asked how he can be sure the UW will bounce back from a dismal 4-8 season, Penix showed a little competitiveness with a stoic look, saying, "This isn't that same team."
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