Now that 4-star Florida quarterback Mike Penix is signed and on campus at Indiana, the quarterback said he’s ready to begin the competition for the starting quarterback job.
And he’ll get that chance, he said.
“Coach Allen told me it’s going to be a fair competition,” Penix said. “All the quarterbacks in the quarterback room are going to compete for the starting job. Everybody’s working hard. We’re brothers, and we love each other. We’re all pushing each other to be great, and coming here early I think is going to be a big role because with all that happening, I feel like it’s going to better prepare me for when the seasons comes.”
Penix, who threw 61 touchdowns and six interceptions in high school, was one of the later additions to the IU Football Class of 2018, as he committed and signed during the Early Signing Period on Dec. 20.
The new Hoosier said he’s already began to grow close to his teammates in the quarterback room, and he’s already been close to offensive coordinator Mike DeBord and quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan, not just from his recruitment with IU but also his recruitment with Tennessee, as he was committed to the Volunteers before decommitting in early December.
As for head coach Tom Allen, Penix said he had heard of him before, as Jamie Byrd — Penix’s godbrother and former safety for Allen when the coach was defensive coordinator at South Florida — told him any place coached by Allen would be a good place to play.
“He always told me that Coach Allen is real motivated and dedicated, and he’s always going to give us his best,” Penix said. “Hearing that was great.”
Penix also said that Sheridan and DeBord told him they plan to use him the same way they used quarterback Josh Dobbs at Tennessee, with run-pass options, play-action pass and read options. Dobbs had a huge senior season at Tennessee in 2016, totaling 2,946 passing yards on 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while also rushing for 831 yards and 12 touchdowns.
According to Penix’s high school head coach at Tampa Bay Tech, Jayson Roberts, the quarterback should make the transition to IU’s offense with ease because he has more experience than the average high school quarterback.
“We put as much on him as he could handle,” Roberts said. “He checked in and out of plays at the line, had plenty of read options and a more complex offense than most kids have ran at that position. He also played with and against a lot of Division I guys every single day.”
He’s not an outspoken guy, Roberts said. He isn’t as vocal as a lot of quarterbacks, but he will take the reins of the offense in his own way, Roberts said, as he sprints from drill to drill and is not afraid to let his teammates know when they do something wrong. He was always the first player at workouts in high school, and when it comes to his confidence, Roberts said he’s seen it grow since the day he transferred into Tampa Bay Tech as a sophomore.
“He’s got a real grounded sense of confidence,” Roberts said. “He has a great belief in himself, and we’ve seen it grow since he was just a big arm coming in as a sophomore. His football IQ has grown substantially. He’ll have no problem adjusting to that kind of offense.”
Being a left-handed quarterback, Penix said many people compare him to former NFL quarterback Michael Vick, for not only his ability throw deep with his left arm but also for his rushing capabilities.
Penix ran 37 times as a senior at Tampa Bay Tech, totaling 449 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also self-reports a 4.60 40-yard dash.
“I always look to pass first and get the ball to my teammates,” Penix said. “But I can run a little too, so I’d say Michael Vick.”
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