Michael Penix Jr. reflects on being in national championship, how his journey built him for it

Michael Penix Jr. was built for moments like the Sugar Bowl and every single one of Washington’s wins this season.

As Penix Jr. triumphantly ran off the field following a 37-31 win over Texas, the quarterback could only reflect on his college career. It’s not over though as the Huskies will take on Michigan in six days for the national championship.

But it was a long journey from Indiana to the biggest stage in the sport.

“I feel like everything happened for a reason,” Penix Jr. said postgame. “Coming out of high school, I’m gonna be honest, like coming out of high school, when I committed to Indiana University, my dad, he didn’t really want me to go there. He didn’t understand why I was going there. So that was something that was hard for me, just having somebody I love the most … He didn’t see my vision. 

“Obviously it led me here, going to Indiana, you know, helped me meet Coach DeBoer and our relationship that we built, you know, throughout the years, it’s been amazing. I wouldn’t want to play for anybody else.”

Penix Jr. was a Heisman finalist this year for what he did with the Huskies. He was on point again in the Sugar Bowl.

But this could’ve been totally different had things not worked out the way they did at Indiana. He was on top of the world but some struggles and injuries affected his time in Bloomington.

“I wouldn’t change my journey for anything and obviously, it might seem crazy to say because of what I’ve been through,” Penix Jr. said. “If I would say that I had to get hurt four times for me to get to this point, that’s not something that I would have thought of. I feel like it was all worth it, man. I feel like everything I’ve been through is definitely worth it and shaped me into the person, the player and the man I am today. So now I’m just super blessed to be in this position.” 

Penix Jr. finished the win over the Longhorns with 430 yards passing and two touchdowns.

“I just continue to trust my faith and trust everything that I believe in,” Penix Jr. said. “Just have fun and I’m not really worried about anything that I’ve been through but I’ll always remember, you where, I came from. You know, to get to here you know, it’s definitely made my journey even more special.”