Washington launches Heisman campaign for Michael Penix Jr.
There’s a quarterback on the West Coast this season that transferred to a new school and helped engineer one of the greatest turnarounds in program history. He took a team that won four games the year prior — weighed down by a woeful offense — and led them to double-digit victories in his first year.
Well, actually, there’s two. One of them is viewed as a shoo-in to win the Heisman Trophy. One of them isn’t even talked about as a likely finalist. UW is trying to change that.
Washington has officially launched a Heisman campaign for standout quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
Be Like Mike 🤷♂️https://t.co/qSBNYGwNla#BeLikeMike x #Penix4Heisman pic.twitter.com/4B85wCaD47
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) November 29, 2022
The Huskies are blasting social media with the hashtags “Be Like Mike” and “Penix 4 Heisman” and they’ve created a website to promote the first-year Husky’s remarkable season.
The link above takes you to a landing page with Penix’s portrait and the phrase “Husky Heisman.” There, you’re going to see plenty of highlight throws from Penix and a reminder that he ranks first among all FBS quarterbacks in passing yards (both total and per game), second in total offense per game, and 11th in points responsible for.
Penix went through the entire UW home slate without being sacked. Among qualified Power Five quarterbacks, none have been better at evading pressure and preventing sacks (per PFF).
In his four years at Indiana, Penix never played more than six games in a single season because of injury. He appeared in every regular-season game for UW, piloting the fifth-best scoring offense in college football in the process.
He’s only the second Husky quarterback all-time to top 4,000 passing yards in a season, and he’s essentially a quarter away from taking the UW record for passing yardage in a single season.
The accolades go on and on.
And UW is going all out to make sure everyone knows. The campaign includes highlight videos across a number of platforms and endorsements from Husky players, past and present. They’re all below.
Ballots were distributed to Heisman voters on Monday. Finalists for the award will be announced on Monday, Dec. 5. The ceremony to reveal the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner will take place at 5 p.m. PT on Saturday, Dec. 10, live on ESPN.
Twitter testimonials
I’ll say this about my guy Mike. Absolutely a great player without a doubt, but he’s the most humble dude you’ll ever meet. Not to mention he always got a smile on his face even after everything he’s been thru! A true Warrior. GET THIS MAN TO NYC #BeLikeMike https://t.co/ECoqYbQhoK
— EDEFUAN 🇳🇬 (@Ulofoshio30) November 28, 2022
Imagine I told you a QB led the nation in passing, led team on various game-winning drives, had the throw of the year in CFB on the road vs a Top 10 team/rival & team went from 4-8 to 10-2…that QB is @themikepenix & he should be in NYC for the #Heisman @UW_Football
— Yogi Roth (@YogiRoth) November 29, 2022
Michael Penix Jr. leads the @UW_Football Huskies with @UW's trademark standard of excellence. He also just happens to lead the nation in passing yards. No doubt this class act deserves Heisman recognition. #Penix4Heisman #BeLikeMike https://t.co/XhRUTmBAiX
— Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) November 28, 2022
A Mike Penix Apple Cup compilation #Heisman #MrHim #Tech9 pic.twitter.com/mmTaXMCHjW
— AC (@Alexcook_2) November 28, 2022
Our heisman 🏆 #BeLikeMike #Penix4Heisman pic.twitter.com/6ke7sq8zH4
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) November 28, 2022
Michael Penix Jr. surrounded by Husky fans chanting "Heisman." Listen to how he handles it. #AppleCup pic.twitter.com/wB2gfzVgGM
— Alyssa Charlston (@Alyssacharlston) November 27, 2022
