Michael Penix Enters the Transfer Portal Leaving a Legacy of Hope and Frustration

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Michael Penix came to Indiana as a highly-touted four-star quarterback with a rocket left arm. He represented the hope for the future for IU football ever since arriving in Bloomington in 2018. He flashed his brilliance at times and helped lead Indiana to 14 wins during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, however, he never played in a bowl game and never took a snap against Purdue in the Bucket Game due to four season ending injuries and never played in more than six games in a single season. Penix entered the NCAA Transfer Portal Sunday night after four seasons with the Hoosier program.

Penix came into the 2021 season off an ACL injury he suffered in a late-November game against Maryland. It was his second ACL tear in three years and his third major injury during his IU career. However, after months of hard work and rehab, Penix was deemed ready to start the season opener for the No. 17 Hoosiers at Iowa. Penix was coming off a season that saw him earn second-team All-Big Ten honors after throwing for 1,645 yards and 14 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

Just two offensive snaps into the 2021 season IU was behind 14-0, saw Penix drop a snap and kick a fumble out of bounds followed by him firing a ball off D.J. Matthews, who stumbled out of his route, that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. It was a knockout punch that IU and Penix never really recovered from. The Hoosiers would come close against Cincinnati and beat Idaho and Western Kentucky, but Penix’s season was over when he hurt his throwing shoulder in the fifth game against Penn State. He finished the year completing 87 passes for 939 yards four touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The Hoosiers season crashed and burned without Penix, heck maybe it still would have crashed and burned with him healthy, but he always represented IU’s best hope. He could get hot and lead IU back with a big play passing attack or make the plays necessary for IU to close out a win.

Michael Penix leaves Indiana just outside of IU’s top 10 for most career passing yards at 4,197 and 10th all-time in passing touchdowns with 29. It was a career filled with so much potential and hope only to be dashed by four frustrating injuries that ended every season prematurely.

The Hoosiers still have three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster in Jack Tuttle, Donaven McCulley and Dexter Williams. Walk-on Grant Gremel also returns in 2022 after getting significant playing time late in the season. The Hoosiers will also bring in Josh Hoover, a three-star out of Texas, in the 2022 recruiting class.