Washington Huskies: Michael Penix Jr. named starting quarterback
After a hotly contested training camp battle, the Washington Huskies named their 2022 starting quarterback.
There is a winner in the Washington Huskies quarterback competition. Earlier this week, Head Coach Kalen DeBoer named Michael Penix Jr. as the team’s starting quarterback for the 2022 season.
When Penix transferred from Indiana, the inference was he would be the starting quarterback. He has experience running DeBoer’s offense when the Huskies head coach was the Hoosiers’ offensive coordinator in 2019.
The hope is that Penix can do something at Washington that he hasn’t been able to pull off since he started playing college football and stay on the field for an entire season. In his freshman season of 2018, MPJ only played in three games. That was followed by six in each of the next two seasons. Last year it was five.
His lack of playing time had nothing to do with performance. It was all because of various injuries. For his career, Penix is 12-4, completing 342 of 576 attempts (59.4%) for 4,197 yards and 29 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. He also has 6 rushing touchdowns. More importantly, he has big game experience facing teams such as Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, etc., in the Big Ten.
Waiting for their chance
Dylan Morris, last year’s starter, is listed as the number two quarterback, followed by Sam Huard. With Penix’s injury history important for them to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. The Washington Huskies’ first game is against Kent State on September 3, followed by Portland State the following week.
UW should be big favorites in both, so Morris will probably play in the second half. Huard could see some action in the fourth quarter, depending on how well Washington is playing.
The NCAA transfer portal is always lurking in the background. Will either Morris and/or Huard head elsewhere if Penix can stay injury-free for the first time in his career? It’s something the Washington Huskies should be ready for. But maybe both backups can learn from watching Penix from the sidelines.
In honor of Michael Penix Jr. being named the starter at Washington, people may remember this moment when he beat Penn State
— WestCoastCFB (@WestCoastCFB) August 23, 2022
At Pac-12 media days, the Washington Huskies were picked to finish six, right in the middle pack. If Penix Jr. can start every game, UW could rise above the prediction. Go Dawgs!