Michael Penix Jr. Scouting Report

Michael Penix Jr, QB

Measurements:

Height: 6’2
Weight: 216lbs
Classification: Senior
School: Washington

Testing Numbers:

Arm: 33 5/8
Hand: 10 1/2”
40: N/A
Broad: N:A
Vert: N/A

Prospect Bio:

The story of Michael Penix is like the road up Mount Rainier (a large active stratovolcano in Washington State). It’s full of twists and turns, but with an ending that makes it all worth it.

What began as a young man from Dade City, Florida, looking to make a way in athletics and participating in many sports along the way, finished in Houston, Texas, on the doorstep of a national championship and legendary status in collegiate football.

This journey is well traveled in more than one right, however, from city to city and state to state, Penix was able to make a name for himself and grow his legend. But there’s a story of heartbreak and setbacks that ride shotgun right beside this young man.

From a young age, the young man known as ‘Little Mike’ put his athletic talents on display. As he grew, his athleticism only improved; in baseball, he became a Center Fielder dating back to his high school days. He also participated in Track & Field, where, in high school, he jumped 22 feet in the long jump and tallied a time of 22.8 in the 200-meter dash.

Penix began his high school career at Pasco High, the same school his father, Michael Penix Sr., attended, where he (Penix Sr.) was an All-State Defensive Back. However, after his father believed the school’s offense did not utilize him to the best of his abilities, he transferred to Tampa Bay Tech High. It was there that he became Hillsborough County Player of the Year. He passed for 2,165 yards with 30 scores, five INTs, a 114.2 quarterback rating as a senior, and 75 touchdowns through two seasons.

This ultimately led to Penix committing to the University of Indiana, taking his talents to the Big 10.

“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,” Penix Jr. said. “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,” Penix said about his initial commitment, but what was at the source was the long-standing relationship between Penix and then Hoosier OC Kalen DeBoer.

This relationship would help guide Penix through the darkest of days. Following his travels to Bloomington, tragedy struck…again and again and again…and again.

We’re talking two different season-ending ACL injuries and multiple shoulder injuries that cut almost every season short.

“There were times when I’d wake up the day of the game and I’d wait until my roommate leaves and I’d just lay on the floor and I’d just cry to God, just praying that he’d protect me that day, because I knew where my head was at that time, and it wasn’t truly fresh,” Penix said about dealing with the injuries.

Eventually, a move to the West Coast was in his future, following DeBoer to Washington, where he took the HC job. After four “short” years at Indiana, Penix left as the school’s sixth all-time leader in completion percentage and 10th in passing TDs, and with that, a move to Seattle was underway.

It was here that, not only was Penix finally able to stay healthy, but he was able to put his talents once again on display, becoming the nation’s leader in passing yards per game (‘22) and passing yards (‘23). While setting the record for passing yards in a single season for Washington in back-to-back seasons—a record that stood for 20 seasons.

Career Stats:

RS Freshman

Adj. Completion Percentage: 75.8%
Yards: 219
TDs: 1
INTs: 0

Freshman

Adj. Completion Percentage: 79.5%
Yards: 1377
TDs: 10
INTs: 4

Sophomore

Adj. Completion Percentage: 66.8%
Yards: 1645
TDs: 14
INTs: 4

Junior

Adj. Completion Percentage: 66.2%
Yards: 939
TDs: 4
INTs: 7

Senior

Adj. Completion Percentage: 74.1%
Yards: 4641
TDs: 31
INTs: 8

Super Senior (COVID)

Adj. Completion Percentage: 74.5%
Yards: 4906
TDs: 36
INTs: 11

Advanced Metrics:

Passing Pressure

RS Freshman:
- Kept Clean (80.6% drop backs) — 78.6% adj. completion (1 TD – 0 INT)
- Under Pressure (19.4% drop backs) — 60% adj. completion (0 TD – 0 INT)
- Not Blitzed (77.8% drop backs) — 76.9% adj. completion (1 TD – 0 INT)
- Blitzed (22.2% drop backs) — 71.4% adj. completion (0 TD – 0 INT)

Freshman:
- Kept Clean (77% drop backs) — 85.1% adj. completion (9 TDs — 2 INTs)
- Under Pressure (23% drop backs) — 56.7% adj. completion (1 TD — 2 INTs)
- Not Blitzed (64.8% drop backs) — 80.8% adj. completion (3 TDs — 3 INTs)
- Blitzed (35.2% drop backs) — 76.9% adj. completion (7 TDs — 1 INT)

Sophomore:
- Kept Clean (59.3% drop backs) — 73.7% Adj. Completion (11 TDs — 1 INT)
- Under Pressure (40.7% drop backs) — 55.1% Adj. Completion (3 TDs — 3 INTs)
- Not Blitzed (68.8% drop backs) — 68.5% Adj. Completion (10 TDs — 2 INTs)
- Blitzed (31.2% drop backs) — 63.1% Adj. Completion (4 TDs — 2 INTs)

Junior:
- Kept Clean (66.7% drop backs) — 74.3% Adj. Completion (2 TDs — 2 INTs)
- Under Pressure (33.3% drop backs) — 43.6% Adj. Completion (2 TDs — 5 INTs)
- Not Blitzed (66.1% drop backs) — 68.7% Adj. Completion (4 TDs — 5 INTs)
- Blitzed (33.9% dropbacks) — 61.2% Adj. Completion (0 TD — 2 INTs)

Senior:
- Kept Clean (78.3% drop backs) — 78.5% Adj. Completion (25 TDs — 6 INTs)
- Under Pressure: 21.7% dropbacks — 53.7% Adj. Completion (6 TDs — 2 INTs)
- Not Blitzed: 70.7% dropbacks — 76.2% Adj. Completion (20 TDs — 7 INTs)
- Blitzed: 29.3% dropbacks — 69% Adj. Completion (11 TDs — 1 INT)

Super Senior:
- Kept Clean: 72.6% dropbacks — 78.9% Adj. Completion (30 TDs — 6 INTs)
- Under Pressure: 27.4% dropbacks — 58.2% Adj. Completion (6 TDs — 5 INTs)
- Not Blitzed: 65.3% dropbacks — 75.9% Adj. Completion (22 TDs — 7 INTs)
- Blitzed: 34.7% dropbacks — 71.8% Adj. Completion (14 TDs — 4 INTs)

Passing Depth

RS Freshman:
- Behind LOS:
  - 5-7 (71.4%)
  - 20.6% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: -2.1 yards
  - 32 yards
- Short:
  - 12-13 (92.3%)
  - 38.2% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 4 yards
  - 103 Yards
- Medium:
  - 3-8 (37.5%)
  - 23.5% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 12.8 yards
  - 50 yards
- Deep:
  - 1-5 (20%)
  - 14.7% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 36.6 yards
  - 34 yards

Freshman:
- Behind LOS:
  - 36-40 (90%)
  - 25% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: -2.8 yards
  - 258 yards
- Short:
  - 43-49 (87.8%)
  - 30.6% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 4.1 yards
  - 425 yards
- Medium:
  - 21-32 (65.6%)
  - 20% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 14 yards
  - 343 yards
- Deep:
  - 9-30 (30.0%)
  - 18.8% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 33.5 yards
  - 351 yards

Sophomore:
- Behind LOS:
  - 27-28 (96.4%)
  - 12.7% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: -3 yards
  - 134 yards
- Short:
  - 48-75 (64%)
  - 34.1% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 3.4 yards
  - 344 yards
- Medium:
  - 32-68 (47.1%)
  - 30.9% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 13.4 yards
  - 488 yards
- Deep:
  - 17-40 (42.5%)
  - 18.2% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 28.9 yards
  - 679 yards

Junior:
- Behind LOS:
  - 13-14 (92.9%)
  - 8.6% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: -3.3 yards
  - 46 yards
- Short:
  - 42-58 (72.4%)
  - 35.6% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 4.3 yards
  - 283 yards
- Medium:
  - 28-55 (50.9%)
  - 33.7% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 13.9 yards
  - 475 yards
- Deep:
  - 4-21 (19.0%)
  - 12.9% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 30 yards
  - 135 yards

Senior:
- Behind LOS:
  - 82-94 (87.2%)
  - 16.8% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: – 3 yards
  - 519 yards
- Short:
  - 173-219 (79.0%)
  - 39.2% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 4.7 yards
  - 1659 yards
- Medium:
  - 73-131 (55.7%)
  - 23.5% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 13.9 yards
  - 1143 yards
- Deep:
  - 34-89 (38.2%)
  - 15.9% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 32 yards
  - 1320 yards

Super Senior:
- Behind LOS:
  - 87-94 (92.6%)
  - 16.9% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: -3 yards
  - 659 yards
- Short:
  - 154-193 (79.8%)
  - 34.7% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 4.2 yards
  - 1304 yards
- Medium:
  - 72-113 (63.7%)
  - 20.3% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 13.7 yards
  - 1156 yards
- Deep:
  - 51-117 (43.6%)
  - 21% of Attempts
  - Average Depth of Target: 29.4 yards
  - 1787 yards

Prospect Overview:

The evaluation of Michael Penix Jr. is an enigma in its own right. At the surface, the high level football IQ and effortless arm talent paints a beautiful picture of what could be. But underneath, this tells a story of a young man with a long storied injury history particularly during his time in Bloomington, aligned with success that may relate to the specific offense he plays in and how long he has played in it.

On one hand. you have the unquestionable heart, work ethic, and leadership that lies within a young man in need of exploring greener pastures as a prospect, but on the other, you have the understanding that the grass isn’t always greener on the opposite end and there are questions about the prospect left unanswered.

In terms of pure arm talent, there aren’t many that match what Penix brings to the table. He’s a seamless arm, doesn’t step into many throws but can absolutely sling the rock. He has an ability to absolutely zip the ball into some crazy windows, I mean the the ball just pops out his hands in the quick game.

Penix has an inept ability to deliver the football from multiple passing platforms and excels specifically as a pocket passer. He dissects a defense like a pro, going through progressions and coverages, finding the weak spot with no problems, has a rep vs Texas where the talent is clear man. Penix holds safety in the middle of the field and comes back to the boundary with a back shoulder that you can only dream of. In my opinion, the best trait about Penix is that he’s typically a really good decision maker. You don’t see him force many, if any passes.

You have to appreciate how Penix makes defenses respect all three levels of the field as a passer. With that being said, there are some concerns that he may have perfected the specific scheme he’s in, which may be a problem unless he lands with the Seattle Seahawks.

The Air Raid scheme that Penix participated in, while he commands that offense — it covered up a lot of things for him. For starters, his footwork was rarely a necessity as this scheme allows you to pass into space not always windows.

While as a pocket passer his talent was able to overcome, there were times where his accuracy was a bit spotty. There were multiple reps vs Oregon where he misses open targets by trying to arm throw the football. Where Penix flashes so many reps of touch and accuracy, there are just as many where the ball sails a bit on him, I believe he’d be a much more accurate passer if he cleaned his feet up.

There’s much to be desired as a rusher. I would love to say he’s an athlete and to an extent he is, but you can tell he just wants to stay healthy. He was much more of a rusher at Indiana than Washington. He can be used in this area but should be sparingly.

Penix does a lot of the things little things right you’d want from a franchise QB, he has some cleaning up to do which is typically okay but with his injury background a team has to field comfortable taking the risk.

Cover Image Credit: Associated Press