Kalen DeBoer compares Michael Penix to Heisman finalists

There is always some controversy surrounding the Heisman Trophy. After all, choosing one player in all of college football who deserves the honor is incredibly difficult to do and there are going to be players overlooked. Washington quarterback Michael Penix is one of those players who has been overlooked this season.

Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer certainly thinks that Michael Penix deserves better recognition than he has gotten, as he compared Penix to the four Heisman finalists.

“I haven’t had a chance to see all of them a lot,” Kalen DeBoer said. “I do know what Michael does. He does it at a high level. Being around college football for a lot of years, he does as good as anyone I’ve ever seen.”

Kalen DeBoer explained that Michael Penix is the ideal balance between physical talent and character that the Heisman is supposed to reward. Without him, the Huskies’ bounce-back season wouldn’t have been possible.

“His ability to be accurate. He has a cannon for an arm. A great leader, great person, high-character guy who came in and instantly brought life to our team. Our stadium became electric because of the big plays he’s made,” Kalen DeBoer continued.

“Taking an offense that was near the bottom of FBS a year ago and pretty much with everyone else around him for the most part being the same people, to be one of the top two offenses in the country in most categories, a lot of that credit is due to what Michael has done for us.”

Michael Penix will return in 2023

Recently, Michael announced his decision to return to Washington in 2023. He did so with a video message, which can be viewed here:

☔️ pic.twitter.com/AcMdW9UeIb

— Mike Penix Jr. (@themikepenix) December 5, 2022

In the video, Penix thanks those who have made this season and his career possible. It’s set up to give the impression that this is a goodbye post and Penix will be moving on to the NFL. He admits it is a difficult decision, but when he looks back on this special season he realizes that the job isn’t finished. He’ll return to Washington in 2022.

In 2023, Washington will be one of the favorites in the PAC-12, largely because of the combination of Kalen DeBoer and Michael Penix.