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Washington

Michael Penix Jr. describes his personal journey

IMG_6598by:Nick Kosko•07/22/23•

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(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Michael Penix Jr. had a wild college football journey up to this point and the Washington quarterback was very reflective ahead of Pac-12 Media Days.

After transferring from Indiana, Penix basically had a resurrection on the football field. Now, he has a chance to pilot the Huskies to a Pac-12 title and potentially the College Football Playoff.

But it wasn’t always easy for the quarterback.

“There’s been a lot of ups and downs,” Penix Jr. said Friday on SportsCenter. “You know, a lot of people know I’ve had a lot of injuries, you know, going through my career, but, you know, I was always able to bounce back and persevere through it all. I just I got to thank the Lord upstairs, you know, for everything that he put me through. 

“I feel like he made me a stronger man today. And I’m just thankful for all the support that I had and everybody around me to lift me up and, you know, bring me to this point that I’m at today.”

Penix Jr. doubled down on his faith as a big reason why he was able to turn things around and stay true to himself.

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“Yeah, like I said, you know the man upstairs, you know, just always understand that God has a plan for me,” Penix Jr. said. “And, you know, I actually have it tattooed on me. You know, I truly believe that and I truly believe that everything happens for a reason.

“So, I just have to make sure I stay level-headed and, you know, just having support from my family, my parents, my little brothers, you know, always make sure that I do whatever I can to make sure that I’m a positive role model and somebody that they can look up to. So, I never wanted to be a quitter in nobody’s eyes so I knew what it needed to take.”

In 13 games last season, Penix Jr. threw for 4,641 yards, 31 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a 65.3% completion percentage.

As a member of the Class of 2018, Penix Jr. was a three-star recruit out of Tampa (Fla.) 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.