The runner up for the Heisman Trophy in 2023, Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr., spoke to the media at the NFL Combine on Friday.
Here’s everything Penix told those in attendance.
On Huskies offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb getting hired by the Seattle Seahawks and if he’s met with Seattle:
I actually didn’t talk to the Seahawks. I don’t know if – I don’t know why that is. Maybe they know me. Hope so. But I’m super excited for him and coach [Scott] Huff, you know, with the things that they were able to do with us at the University of Washington. It’s special. To see them get success at the next level – I’m super excited to see it.
On potentially joining Geno Smith with the Seahawks:
I trained with him one time in the offseason. You know, he’s a great guy. He’s a guy that works extremely hard. And I can tell everybody on that team, you know, they gravitate around him and trust him as their leader. So that would be cool.
On growing up in Dade City, Florida and what returning to the Tampa area would mean to him:
It was crazy, you know, and Dade City is small, a small city. I’m a small city country boy, so it’s different. When I got to college, there’s a lot of cities and stuff that I really didn’t know about that I was able to visit. I’m super blessed for it all, but if I was able to be back in Tampa, you know, it would be special. All my family is still there and it’d be easy access for them to see me.
On his medical checks in Indianapolis:
No, they’re good. I got it all out the way yesterday. It wasn’t as bad as what I thought. I just did all the things that they wanted to see.
On what an NFL team is getting from him:
I just feel like I’m a leader. You know, I’m a leader and I’m a guy that’s gonna bring the best out of everybody around me. I feel like in every aspect I can elevate the guys around me and highlight them into becoming better people and players as well. So, I feel like that’s a good thing for a quarterback.
On if teams were concerned about his injury history:
No, not really. You know, if they are, I can’t control it at this point. That’s another reason why I came back for the 2023 season, just to have another fully healthy season. Just show that I’m ready to compete and I can do it at the next level. So at this point, I can’t control if there’s still questions about the injury history.
On Kalen DeBoer leaving for Alabama:
Yeah, man, I’m super excited for coach DeBoer. I’d never talk bad about him. He’s definitely one of the biggest reasons for my success. He’s the biggest reason I chose the University of Washington and you know, I found a lot of success there. The things that he’s done for me in my career, you know, it’s definitely a blessing and I’ll forever appreciate him, so I’m super excited for him.
On his meeting with the Denver Broncos:
Yeah, it went good. It went good. It was an interesting meeting. It was different than the others, but I felt good. I felt confident going into it and going out of it. Playing for coach Sean Payton, that would be special. Obviously, he’s a great coach, one of the best in the game. To be able to learn from him, it would be special.
On why his meeting with Denver stood out from the others:
Oh yeah, man, they were tough. They were tough. They pulled up a lot of bad plays, but it’s good, you know, because at the next level it’s hard. It’s hard to win, you know? I understand that. And I feel like he was probably trying to see how I reacted to those bad plays. If I can take accountability and stuff like that. And I’m always going to do that, you know, I’m always going to put others before me, and I’m going to be honest about everything.
On what he thinks his overall rating would be if he was included in EA College Football 25:
Overall, I feel like as a quarterback, I should be a 95 for sure. I feel like they’ll try to knock me for my speed, but maybe I can clean that up come pro day.
On his ability to avoid pressure:
I feel like it’s my preparation. A lot of people ask why don’t I run, but I feel like the way I process the defense, process the game, I feel like I do it so quick to the point where I really don’t have to run. I know where my outlets are. I know where to get the ball and I’m confident in all of my decisions. So I feel like everything that I do on the football field translates to success.
On his decision to throw in Indianapolis:
Just to show I’m willing to compete, you know, at the highest levels I’m always willing to compete. This is a game that I loved since I was a kid and any time I got an opportunity to compete, I’m gonna take the opportunity. Nothing against the guys that’s not doing it, everybody has their own reasons. But for me, I don’t pass up on opportunities to compete.
On the impression he wants to leave:
I feel like the biggest thing is confidence, especially at this position at the next level. You got to be confident in all your decisions. You know, you’re not going to be perfect. You’re going to make mistakes. I feel like they want to see how are you going to respond to those mistakes. Are you going to continue to keep making the same mistakes or are you going to learn from it and continue to grow, you know? And I feel like everything I’ve been through, I’ve always been able to grow and learn from all the mistakes that I did have.
On what Washington did to showcase his talent after showing flashes at Indiana:
I really don’t know how to answer that question. To be honest, I felt like, like you said, I did have success. I flashed, but then I got injured. So those times, I wasn’t able to be on the field a lot, even in off-season and stuff like that. I wasn’t able to do off-season workouts for most of my career. And then in Washington, obviously I did find a lot of success, but I was able to stay on the field.
On going through the Combine with such a large contingent of teammates:
Yeah man, it’s been amazing. To be able to do the things that we did as a team this past year has been amazing and to see Bralen [Trice] and Eddy [Ulofoshio] yesterday, putting on a show. Eddy, I feel like he graded as the top linebacker yesterday. Bralen, I feel like he ran really good yesterday as well. So to be able to see my guys doing real good and the success they had, it’s super exciting.
On his scouting report of Rome Odunze:
Oh, he’s the number one receiver in the draft. He showed it each and every week. And all of my receivers are amazing. I got three of them here and man, the work, the things that they were able to do for the University of Washington especially, I know that it’s going to forever go down in history. I’m super blessed to be able to have them. Rome, he’s a first class guy. He’s a guy that’s going to show up the same guy each and every day, you know, and that’s what makes him so special.
On having eight offensive teammates in attendance in Indianapolis:
Yeah, man. It is special to be able to have all those guys also being here, you know, it is special. It just shows the work that they put in, obviously they know they couldn’t get here without all the work that they put in. Each and every day, off-season grind, during the season. They put in a lot to get to this point and get to this moment. And I know that it’s gonna definitely benefit all of us.
On where his work ethic came from:
Since I was a kid, giving up, that was never in my blood. You know, my family, my parents, they never let me give up, quit anything in my life. So it was always if you start something, you gonna finish it, so I knew that I was never going to give up. I just continue to trust in my faith, trusting the people around me and continue to take it day by day and just enjoying each and every moment.