Washington State legend says Washington's Michael Penix Jr. is a top-five QB
Ryan Leaf has been blown away by what he’s seen from Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. to start the 2022 season.
Leaf, a star at quarterback for Washington State in the late 90s and the second overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, was on SiriusXM radio earlier this week and couldn’t help but gush over the start Penix has enjoyed in his reunion with Kalen DeBoer.
Penix and DeBoer were together at Indiana in 2019, when DeBoer was his offensive coordinator. Penix transferred from IU prior to the new year, hoping for a fresh start after repeated injuries derailed seasons with the Hoosiers. With DeBoer taking over as the head coach at Washington, the fit looked perfect on paper.
On the field, it has been seamless. Washington is 4-0, Penix leads the country in passing yards, and UW sits 12th nationally in scoring offense.
“I dare you to find better quarterback play out there,” said Leaf. “There have been lulls with all the other guys. He has been top-notch. … Let’s see what he looks like when the pocket’s not clean, right? When we get into Pac-12 play and he’s got some people at his feet, (let’s see) if that makes for a different version of Michael Penix Jr., but the one we’ve watched, he gets back to his spot, he understands the offense (and) what they want to do.
“I will say this: I have not seen the down-the-field big-play potential from anybody else other than maybe Ohio State this year than what UW has been able to do. They have no qualms about letting that ball fly down to his really talented wide receiver room, and the guys go make plays for him. They do. In the first four games of the season, he’s a top-five quarterback in the entire country right now.”
It's been a fantastic start to the season for @themikepenix and @UW_Football!@RyanDLeaf has high praise for the Huskies signal caller and thinks he's playing as good as anyone in America!#NoLimits #PurpleReign pic.twitter.com/cIlue3D8pe
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) September 27, 2022
Washington’s top three receivers all average more than 15 yards a reception. They have a guy leading the Pac-12 in receiving yards per game, another guy with the second-most receiving touchdowns in the conference so far, and another guy who has more 30-plus-yard receptions than anyone in the league.
Penix has been truly special.
UW will look to move to 5-0 for the first time since 2017 when it plays UCLA Friday night. Kickoff in Pasadena is set for 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN.