The College Football Playoff National Championship stage is set, as Michigan and Washington will square off for a chance to become the final champion in a four-team format Monday. Each team has a quarterback prospect considered to be among the best in college football and a potential first-round selection.
Here is how Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy arrived at this point, as well as their strengths, weaknesses and draft outlook:
Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Penix is in his second season with the Washington program. A native of Tampa, Penix began his career in Bloomington with Indiana in 2018. Despite showing promise in his four years on campus, his unfortunate injury history will always leave Hoosiers fans wondering what may have been. Each of his first four seasons ended early due to leg injuries.
Penix elected to transfer ahead of the 2022 season, and his Indiana offensive coordinator in 2019, Kalen DeBoer, happened to be in the market for a quarterback during his first season as a head coach in the Pac-12. Fortunately, the quarterback’s injury history did not follow him to the Pacific Northwest. Penix has thrown for more than 4,600 yards and 30 touchdowns in each of his two seasons with the Huskies — the most recent earning him recognition as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
In the College Football Playoff semifinal, he threw for 430 yards, which is the fourth-most in College Football Playoff history, and two touchdowns.
Penix will be making his second-career start against the Wolverines. While at Indiana in 2020, he led the Hoosiers to a 38-21 victory. In that setting, he threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns.
The senior has shown arm strength capable of pushing the ball downfield all season. He consistently throws with as much touch and accuracy downfield as any quarterback eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft. While not known for his mobility, Penix has…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2024-nfl-draft-michigans-j-j-mccarthy-washingtons-michael-penix-jr-playing-for-more-than-national-title/
Author : Josh Edwards
Publish date : 2024-01-08 23:16:05
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