SEATTLE — A winding path brought the Washington Huskies star quarterback to the Pacific Northwest from Dade City, Florida, located just northeast of Tampa.
Before college, Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., a 23-year-old senior, played football at Tampa Bay Technical High School. Penix was a three-sport athlete, also competing in baseball and track.
Penix Jr. began his college career at Indiana University in 2018. Several major anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries as well as a dislocation of a shoulder joint kept Penix from ever playing a full season for the Hoosiers.
He transferred to Washington in 2021 to reunite with coach Kalen DeBoer, who had been his offensive coordinator for the 2019 season at Indiana.
Under DeBoer, Penix Jr. finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2022 after throwing for over 4,600 yards and 31 touchdowns.
In 2023, Penix Jr. was the favorite for the Heisman for a significant portion of the season and topped his yardage total from his first year at UW. The Huskies finished the season undefeated, and Penix Jr. finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting while earning both Pac-12 Championship Game and Sugar Bowl MVP honors.
“He's got a skillset that is – I think it makes him the best player in the country," DeBoer told reporters Jan. 3. "The ability to throw the ball with accuracy, he can get rid of it super quick."
In the 2023 season, Penix Jr. has thrown for 4,648 yards and 35 touchdowns. He also rushed for three touchdowns. Penix Jr. broke Washington’s single-season passing record in 2022 and 2023.
However, if you ask Penix Jr.’s coaches what quality has guided Penix Jr. to the national championship game, they would say it’s his mindset and being team-oriented.
"He's as low ego as it gets," DeBoer said. "It's all about the team. Everyone hears that publicly when he talks, but it is 100 percent real. It is what we see every single day. There are things he's doing for his teammates that he could care less if it got out there in the public. It's all about just loving the moment he's in, wanting this to be a special time for everyone that's around him.”
That mindset was on display at the Heisman Trophy ceremony in December when Penix Jr. wore a purple sportscoat that had his teammates’ names written on the inside.
“He has a lot of trust in people,” DeBoer said. “Once you really become loyal to him, he will do anything for you. That's gone both ways on our team, both he to the team and the team to him."