Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is just days away from leading the Washington Huskies in the 2023-2024 National Championship game against top-ranked Michigan. Penix and the Huskies achieved a perfect record through the regular season and the Pac-12 championship game and took down No. 3 Texas in the semi-final game this past Monday.
Penix’s journey to Washington, though, has been an interesting one. The former three-star recruit in the class of 2018 played four years at Indiana before finishing out his final two years at Washington. But it’s the time before he ever stepped foot in college that has had Tennessee fans buzzing over the last week.
Michael Penix Jr. originally committed to Tennessee and head coach Butch Jones in April 2017. Jones, though, was fired from Tennessee that November as the Vols hired Jeremy Pruitt in early December.
Just a mere six days after Tennessee announced the hiring of Pruitt, Penix Jr. decommitted from Tennessee, citing “conversations with the new staff” as a reason why he felt that he was no longer wanted at Tennessee.
“I would like to thank the previous coaches at the University of Tennessee and the fans for believing in me,” Penix Jr. wrote to Twitter on Dec. 13, 2017. “But after conversations with the new staff it seems that’s not the place that I’m being wanted. So, at this time I announce that I have de-committed from The University of Tennessee and will re-open my recruitment. I’m still signing December 20th to the college that was really meant for me! Thank you!”
Penix Jr. cleared up some of the lingering questions from six years ago on Saturday.
While speaking to the media at the National Championship media day, Outkick’s Trey Wallace asked Penix if Tennessee and the new staff pulled his offer during recruitment. Penix Jr. confirmed that Tennessee did but doesn’t seem to hold any ill will against the Volunteers.
“I wouldn’t say it did anything,” Penix Jr. said about having the Tennessee offer taken away. “At the moment, I didn’t understand it, but at the same time I knew the skillsets that I had and I knew that I was going to be able to find a way to be successful wherever I went. So I don’t look back on that like, oh I gotcha. It’s nothing like that. For me, it was just always trying to do whatever I can to help whatever team I was on win football games. It didn’t matter where I was, as long as it was somewhere where I felt confident, and somewhere the team trusted me.”
Watch the video from Trey Wallace below:
Michael Penix Jr.
“Yes, they (Tennessee) took my offer” pic.twitter.com/naHAtBkceO
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) January 6, 2024
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All in all, things worked out for Penix Jr. while Tennessee had a rough three years under Pruitt that eventually led to an NCAA investigation with punishment dished out this past July.
Michael Penix Jr. was born in Cookeville, Tennessee, but moved to Dade City, Florida, and played his high school ball at Tampa Bay Technical High School.
The 6-foot-3 quarterback tore his ACL in his freshman season at Indiana and then again tore an ACL during his third season with the Hoosiers. Penix played one more season at Indiana in 2021 before transferring to Washington during the bowl season in December 2021.
Penix Jr. led Washington to an 11-2 record in 2022 and was the leading passer among Power 5 teams with 4,641 passing yards. The former Tennessee commit and Indiana quarterback then turned that into an undefeated 2023 season with the Huskies knocking on the door of the National Championship this Monday night in Houston, Texas.
Penix Jr. finished second in the 2023 Heisman Trophy voting behind LSU QB Jayden Daniels.
No. 2 Washington will take on No. 1 Michigan in the National Championship at 7:30 p.m. ET this Monday Night in NRG Stadium.
