10 most important college football players returning to school over entering draft

Top 10 college football players returning to school over entering draft

No. 6: Michael Penix Jr., Washington QB

Welcome to the Pac-12 quarterbacks portion of the 2023 offseason narrative.

The Pac-12 was a sinking stone in terms of perception going into the 2022 season but the influx of stellar quarterbacks, along with some savvy head coaching hires, revived the conference.

Michael Penix Jr. could never quite get things going at Indiana, though he sure flashed at times. His arrival at Washington along with offense-minded head coach Kalen DeBoer turned out to be a match made in heaven.

Washington flipped their 4-8 record from 2021 into an 11-2 campaign in 2022 thanks in no small part to Penix’s outstanding play at QB. He led the nation with 357 yards per game, tossing 31 touchdowns to eight interceptions.

Like Hartman, Penix finished his fifth season in college and decided to run it back one more time. The major difference is that last year was his first complete campaign. It’ll be fun to see what he can do in Year 2 in a system clearly suited to his game. His decision to return could result in a Pac-12 title for Washington in 2023. Don’t count out the Huskies.