Michael Penix Jr. looks back on the journey of his college football career

Michael Penix Jr. reflected on his career and the long journey that took him from Indiana to Washington and now to the NFL.

It was a bittersweet ending for Penix Jr. and the Huskies. The highs of the Sugar Bowl win but the sting of the national championship loss to Michigan.

He overcame a lot to become one of the best quarterbacks in the game and can now take it to the next level.

“In my career, it was a lot,” Penix Jr. “I feel like everything happened for a reason. Everybody knows my story. I’ve been through a lot. I’ve had ups and downs. But I’m thankful for it all. I’m super blessed. Obviously, to me, Coach DeBoer, at Indiana, to lead me here, to be playing for the biggest game in college football, but obviously it didn’t come out how we wanted it to. But I know each player on this team, they gave it their all, and it wasn’t enough today.” 

Like the leader he is, Penix Jr. put the lack of offense on him. He was dominant pretty much all year, but the Huskies couldn’t get anything going against Michigan.

“And for me, I’m going to take accountability for the offensive side of the ball,” Penix Jr. “I feel like we could have did better. Too many penalties. And we had a lot of offsides. And I’m going to put that on me because I’ve got to be louder.

“I’ve got to make sure that I’m great with my communication and stuff like that, so my offensive line isn’t hearing ghosts. It’s been a long — but I’m blessed. I’m blessed to be here. I’m blessed to be on this team, and these guys will be my brothers forever.”

Despite a down national championship, Penix Jr. had his best season overall. At this point, he seems destined for the first round of the NFL Draft.

That seemed like a stretch when he was bruised and battered at Indiana.

This year, Penix Jr. finished with 4,903 yards, 36 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 65.4% completion percentage. He finished his career with 13,741 yards, 96 touchdowns, 34 interceptions and a 63.3% completion percentage.

As a member of the Class of 2018, Penix Jr. was a three-star recruit out of Tampa (Fla.) Tampa Bay Tech, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 93 overall prospect in the state, the No. 43 quarterback in the class and the No. 586 overall prospect in the class.