Michael Penix Jr. has been named the Washington Huskies next starting quarterback, coach Kalen DeBoer said Tuesday. He took the job away from incumbents Dylan Morris and Sam Huard, who each started games last season.
Penix transferred to Washington in December after four seasons with the Indiana Hoosiers. He already had history with some coaches on the staff; specifically Kalen DeBoer and tight end coach Nick Sheridan. DeBoer was the Hoosiers offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2019. Then, Sheridan took over as the offensive coordinator when DeBoer left for Fresno State.
Penix had three solid seasons with both DeBoer and Sheridan as his offensive coordinators. He had 3978 passing yards and 29 passing touchdowns to 15 interceptions. He has also tallied six rushing touchdowns.
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Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to play more than six games in a given season due to injuries. He’s suffered a season-ending injury each year, including ACL injuries in 2018 and 2020. His final season at Indiana ended because he separated the AC joint in his throwing shoulder.
Obviously, the Huskies hope Penix’s injuries are a thing of the past. However, DeBoer and staff have hashed out the pecking order behind the senior transfer as well.
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Morris started the first 11 games of the 2021 season. He threw for 2,458 yards, 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 60.6% of his passes. Huard started the other game, and it did not go well. He threw 190 passing yards, one touchdown and four interceptions in that lone start.
There’s plenty of pressure on Penix to perform as the program is coming off a tumultuous 2021 season. The hope is he and DeBoer get the program back into Pac-12 Title contention. The Huskies open their 2022 campaign at home against Kent State on September 3rd and Portland State on Sept. 10. Their stiffest, and most notable, challenge will come in Week 3 at Michigan State.