Indiana QB Michael Penix Bulks Up as He Prepares to Go 'Full Bore' in Spring

Michael Penix (9) is ready to get back to football Image: Amanda Pavelka Hoosier Huddle

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

One of the biggest questions facing the Indiana Hoosiers heading into the 2020 season will be the durability of quarterback Michael Penix whose first two seasons have been cut short with injury. On Wednesday Indiana head coach Tom Allen said that Penix will be “full bore” for spring practice and that the redshirt freshman quarterback is “close to 220 (pounds) -- 217, 218 right now. Really changing himself there which is really important.”

Penix was lost after playing in his third game of 2018 with a torn ACL in a late-October game against Penn State. After being named the starting last August, Penix dealt with a number of injuries that limited to just seven games before being ruled out for the season after the team’s win over Northwestern. He finished the season completing 68.8-percent of his passes (110-160) for 1,394 yards and 10 touchdowns. Penix was listed at playing last season at 202 pounds.

Bulking up closer to 220 pounds could improve Penix’s ability to withstand the hits that come with playing in the Big Ten.

Tom Allen also told reporters that Penix will “be full bore for spring ball. We don't hit our quarterbacks in the spring. So that won't change. But he'll be -- whereas last spring he was not full.”

With the departure of Peyton Ramsey to the NCAA Transfer Portal the health of Penix becomes that much more critical to the Hoosier offense.

Behind Penix is redshirt freshman Jack Tuttle who transferred in from Utah last winter. Tuttle has had his own bad luck as he missed some of spring practice last season after coming down with mononucleosis. Tuttle threw 11 passes while appearing in five games last year. Allen said Wednesday that Tuttle has “done a tremendous job working. He has a great mindset. He's excited to be in that position. And he's getting bigger and stronger. And he'll have a chance this spring to get a ton of reps and continue to grow and develop.”

Incoming freshman Dexter Williams is on campus and working with the team. He is projected to be the third quarterback, but has stood out in early workouts.

“He's got to be ready. And Dexter's got to be ready. And everybody else in that room,” Allen explained, “but I think those as we know -- and it's very, very important that you have those guys ready when called upon. And Jack's going to be a very, very important part of this football team and very, very important part of our 2020 season.”

The Hoosiers open the 2020 season on September 4th when they travel to Madison, WI to take on the Wisconsin Badgers.