Penix rose to stardom at his second school, Washington, helping the Huskies quickly ascend to national title contenders in just two seasons. After earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors in his first campaign in Seattle, the QB delivered an incredible follow-up performance in his final season with Washington, winning the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top player and finishing with second-team All-American and All-Pac-12 honors; he was also a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, Davey O’Brien Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.
All the hardware came as a result of leading the Football Bowl Subdivision with 4,903 passing yards as the engine behind one of college football’s most explosive passing attacks. Penix and the offense powered the Huskies to a Pac-12 title (earned only after taking down Oregon twice in 2023), a win over Texas in the Sugar Bowl and an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
With a live arm capable of spreading the ball among Washington’s cast of talented targets (headlined by fellow top 2024 draft prospect Rome Odunze, who was taken by the Bears at No. 9, one pick after Penix went to Atlanta), Penix rocketed up draft boards to join the top quarterbacks in the 2024 class. Scouts love his arm talent, as well as his toughness and perseverance to fight through the many injuries suffered in his six-year career. That said, his injury history has left some wondering whether he might be a risky investment.
Penix began his collegiate career at Indiana, where he helped the Hoosiers jump from afterthought to Big Ten contender in his redshirt freshman and sophomore seasons but struggled annually with injuries. Two torn ACLs and two shoulder ailments limited him to a total of 20 games played over four years in Bloomington before he decided he needed a change of scenery, following his offensive coordinator at Indiana, Kalen DeBoer, when he transferred to Washington in 2022.
After two years together and a national title game appearance, DeBoer left Washington to replace Nick Saban at the collegiate powerhouse known as the University of Alabama. Penix, meanwhile, is off to the NFL to learn behind Cousins.
The prevailing assumption entering the draft was that the Falcons would look to upgrade their defense after years of taking offensive skill position players early in the first round. Instead, Atlanta secured its quarterback future for years.