After Injury-Plagued Start, Michael Penix is “100 Percent Ready to Go”

Michael Penix (9) is looking to prove he can survive the season Image: Sarah Miller Hoosier Huddle

Written By: Nate Comp (@NathanComp1)

The start of Michael Penix’s career has been riddled with ups and downs.

On one hand, the now-redshirt sophomore has produced at levels that only Indiana legend Antwaan Randle El has ever been able to match. Penix joined Randle El as the only Hoosier freshman to surpass 300 passing yards in their first career start, he completed 20 straight passes against Michigan State in his first road start, and, less statistically speaking, he’s equipped with a complete cannon of a left arm.

But on the other hand, there’s a reason why Peyton Ramsey left the Hoosiers this offseason as one of the best quarterbacks they’ve ever had; Penix has been unable to complete either of his first two seasons due to injury. In 2018, it was a season-ending ACL tear on a scramble against Penn State. In 2019, he lasted a bit longer, but ultimately was again knocked out for the season with a right sternoclavicular joint injury in the win over Northwestern.

He’s confident 2020 will be a different story.

“I'm definitely ready. There's nothing holding me back now. Every day is a turnaround,” said Penix on Tuesday, via teleconference.

“Just working hard to get back to where I am now and I definitely feel like I'm 100 percent and ready to go.”

One of his biggest goals for the offseason was to put on weight for added durability to last an entire season as QB1. After one of Indiana’s minimal spring practices on campus earlier this year, Penix noted that he was up 15-20 pounds from where he started.

Despite the campus being shut down for the remainder of the spring semester, his pursuit of this goal has not faltered. A nutritionist with a familiar, loving heart has helped him out.

“My mom's been cooking a lot for me. My weight's definitely been staying the same, if not going up a little bit,” he noted. “I can't just go out and come back not my weight. That would be letting my team down and that's something I'm not going to do.”

He’s also stayed strict to his workout plan, despite being separated from newly-named Strength and Conditioning Coach Aaron Wellman.

“He [Aaron Wellman] gave us all workouts. He made them specific for whatever [equipment] we had. He's been talking to us and continuing to tell us that working out is going to keep us in shape.”

The warm weather in his home state of Florida where he is quarantined has allowed him to stay up-to-date with his on-field work as well.

“We were on the field. We were doing basic quarterback drills, just continue to stay fresh on mechanics. That's what I've been doing myself and I've been going to my quarterback coach and I've been training and running on my own for the most part.”

All this said, he’s confident that despite the altered offseason plans due to the coronavirus, Penix and his teammates will come back just as ready as ever for the 2020 season.

“I can guarantee you that all the players around have been working extremely hard and pushing themselves. We know what we want to achieve and are ready to go out and give it our all every day.”