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Michael Penix Jr.

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Michael Tarrence Penix Jr. (/ˈpɛnɪks/ PENN-iks; born May 8, 2000) is an American professional football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). After three seasons of college football with the Indiana Hoosiers that were limited by injury, Penix had a breakout year with the Washington Huskies in 2022 when he led the FBS in yards per game and set the school season record for passing yards. The following year, he won the Maxwell Award after leading the NCAA in passing yards en route to an appearance in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship. Penix was selected by the Falcons eighth overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

Michael Penix Jr.
refer to caption
Penix with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024
No. 9 – Atlanta Falcons
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (2000-05-08) May 8, 2000 (age 24)
Cookeville, Tennessee, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Tampa Bay Technical (Tampa, Florida)
College:
NFL draft:2024 / round: 1 / pick: 8
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2024
Passing attempts:5
Passing completions:3
Completion percentage:60.0%
TD–INT:0–0
Passing yards:38
Passer rating:83.7
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Penix was born in Cookeville, Tennessee, but later moved and was raised in Dade City, Florida.[1] Penix attended Tampa Bay Technical High School and started at quarterback for the Titans for two seasons, passing for 4,243 yards with 61 touchdowns and only six interceptions.[2] He committed to Indiana University to play college football.[3]

College career

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Indiana (2018–2021)

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See also: Indiana Hoosiers statistical leaders

As a true freshman for the Hoosiers in 2018 at Indiana, Penix played in three games, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and was redshirted.[4] He completed 21 of 34 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown.[5] Named the starter entering the 2019 season,[6][7][8] Penix, however, only played in six games due to injury, completing 110 of 160 passes for 1,394 yards, with ten touchdowns and four interceptions.[9] Penix returned to Indiana as the starter for the pandemic-shortened season in 2020.[10][11][12] On November 30, he was ruled out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in a win against Maryland.[13]

Washington (2022–2023)

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See also: Washington Huskies statistical leaders
 
Penix at a press conference prior to the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship

Penix transferred to the University of Washington in December 2021.[14] He was the FBS leader in passing yards per game for the 2022 season (357) and led the Huskies to an 11–2 record.[15] He threw 4,641 passing yards, becoming the Washington Huskies all-time single-season passing leader during the Alamo Bowl. He was named AP Comeback Player of the Year.[16][17]

In his senior year, Penix led the 2023 Huskies to an undefeated 13-0 regular season, a victory over Texas in the CFP Semifinal Game, and the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship game, which they lost 34–13 to Michigan.[18][19][20] Penix won the Maxwell Award and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, the highest ever for a Husky.[21][22][23][24] He led the NCAA in passing yards with 4,903, beating his previously set University of Washington single-season passing yards record.[25] Penix was named MVP of the Pac-12 Championship Game, leading UW to a win over rival No. 5 Oregon, and threw for 27-for-39 for 319 yards, one touchdown and one interception.[26]

Statistics

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College statistics
Season Team Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Record Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
2018 Indiana 3 0 0–0 21 34 61.8 219 6.4 1 0 125.6 7 45 6.4 0
2019 6 6 5–1 110 160 68.8 1,394 8.7 10 4 157.6 22 119 5.4 2
2020 6 6 5–1 124 220 56.4 1,645 7.5 14 4 136.5 18 25 1.4 2
2021 5 5 2–3 87 162 53.7 939 5.8 4 7 101.9 17 −24 −1.4 2
2022 Washington 13 13 11–2 362 554 65.3 4,641 8.4 31 8 151.3 35 92 2.6 4
2023 15 15 14–1 363 555 65.4 4,903 8.8 36 11 157.1 35 8 0.2 3
Career 48 45 37–8 1,067 1,685 63.3 13,741 8.2 96 34 146.6 134 265 2.0 13

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 2+1⁄4 in
(1.89 m) 		216 lb
(98 kg) 		33+5⁄8 in
(0.85 m) 		10+1⁄2 in
(0.27 m)		 4.58 s 1.58 s 2.61 s 36.5 in
(0.93 m)		 10 ft 5 in
(3.18 m)
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[27][28]

Penix was selected by the Atlanta Falcons eighth overall in the 2024 NFL draft.[29] The pick was seen as a major surprise as the Falcons had signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract earlier in the offseason.[30][31][32] He was the fourth of six quarterbacks taken in the first round, tied with the 1983 draft for the most in NFL history.[33] Penix signed a four-year fully-guaranteed contract worth $22.8 million on June 24, 2024.[34]

Penix began his rookie season as a backup to veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. On October 20, Penix made his NFL debut late in the fourth quarter during the Falcons' blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks, completing his lone pass for 14 yards to Casey Washington.[35]

Statistics

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Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacks Fumbles
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A Y/G Lng TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg Lng TD Sck SckY Fum Lost
2024 ATL 2 0 — 3 5 60.0 38 7.6 19.0 20 0 0 83.7 0 0 — 0 0 1 0 0 0
Career 2 0 — 3 5 60.0 38 7.6 19.0 20 0 0 83.7 0 0 — 0 0 1 0 0 0

Personal life

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Penix is a Christian.[36] His father was a running back for the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles in the 1990s and holds several school rushing records; his mother ran track at Tennessee Tech.[37]

References

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  1. ^ Knight, Joey (November 16, 2023). "Heisman favorite Michael Penix Jr.'s career was launched in Dade City". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Brew, Tom (July 22, 2021). "Quarterback Michael Penix Jr., was a huge recruiting get for Indiana". SI.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  3. ^ Knight, Joey (December 20, 2017). "Tampa Bay Tech's Michael Penix Jr. chooses Indiana". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  4. ^ "Indiana QB Penix out for season with torn ACL". ESPN.com. October 22, 2018. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Osterman, Zach (March 1, 2019). "IU QB Michael Penix ahead of schedule as he rehabs from torn ACL". The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  6. ^ Osterman, Zach (August 26, 2019). "Insider: Hoosiers' choice of Michael Penix at QB is a risk — but one worth taking". The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  7. ^ "Monday's college football: Penix Jr. beats out Ramsey for Indiana starting QB job". The Detroit News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  8. ^ Brockway, Kevin (August 30, 2019). "Poised QB Penix set to make IU starting debut". Herald Bulletin. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  9. ^ Schlabach, Mark (November 5, 2019). "Indiana loses starting QB Penix for rest of season". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  10. ^ Blau, Jon (October 22, 2020). "QB Michael Penix ready to prove what's possible for IU football". The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  11. ^ Charboneau, Matt (November 11, 2020). "'Talented and tough': Michigan State knows Michael Penix Jr.-led No. 10 Indiana is no fluke". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  12. ^ Kravitz, Bob (November 7, 2020). "Kravitz: At last, Indiana's Michael Penix Jr. is fulfilling his promise". The Athletic. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  13. ^ Sallee, Barrett (November 30, 2020). "Indiana QB Michael Penix Jr. out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in win over Maryland". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  14. ^ Uggetti, Paolo (December 14, 2021). "Ex-Hoosiers QB Penix transferring to Washington". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  15. ^ "NCAA College Football FBS current individual Stats". NCAA.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  16. ^ Vorel, Mike (August 31, 2023). "'All I see is resiliency': How Husky QB Michael Penix Jr. has built a career by bouncing back". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  17. ^ "Penix, Ibrahim, Latu earn comeback player of the year honors". AP News. December 20, 2022. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  18. ^ "2023 Washington Huskies Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  19. ^ Adelson, Andrea (January 2, 2024). "Penix-led Huskies again 'prove everybody wrong'". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  20. ^ Meek, Austin (January 9, 2024). "Michigan runs over Washington 34-13 to win first national championship since 1997". The Athletic. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  21. ^ Kasabian, Paul (December 8, 2023). "College Football Awards 2023: Results, Winners, Highlights and Twitter Reaction". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  22. ^ "LSU's Daniels, UW's Penix score top CFB awards". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 9, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  23. ^ "Michael Penix Jr". Washington Huskies. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  24. ^ "2023 Heisman Trophy Voting". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  25. ^ "2023 FBS Passing Statistics". The Football Database. January 10, 2024. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  26. ^ Bonagura, Kyle (December 2, 2023). "UW seals CFP bid with victory in Pac-12 farewell". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  27. ^ "Michael Penix Jr. Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  28. ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Michael Penix Jr. College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  29. ^ Yamashita, Andy (April 25, 2024). "UW's Michael Penix Jr. selected by Falcons with No. 8 pick in NFL draft". Seattle Times. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  30. ^ Andres, Patrick (April 25, 2024). "NFL World Floored by Falcons Taking Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 in NFL Draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  31. ^ Raimondi, Marc (April 25, 2024). "Michael Penix Jr. taken by Falcons in NFL draft surprise". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  32. ^ Bell, Jarrett (April 26, 2024). "Don't blame Falcons just yet for NFL draft bombshell pick of QB Michael Penix Jr". USA Today. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  33. ^ Alper, Josh (April 25, 2024). "Six quarterbacks in first round ties NFL record". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  34. ^ McElhaney, Tori (June 24, 2024). "Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. signs rookie deal". Atlanta Falcons. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  35. ^ Flick, Daniel (October 21, 2024). "Geno Smith Touts 'Special' Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. After NFL Debut". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  36. ^ Mercer, Kevin (January 2, 2024). "QB Michael Penix Jr. leads Washington to CFP title game: 'I gotta thank God for everything'". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  37. ^ Shank, Billy (December 26, 2023). "2024 Sugar Bowl preview: QB Michael Penix is the engine that makes Washington go". Burnt Orange Nation. SB Nation. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
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