Michael Penix Jr.’s college career is officially over. But the Washington Huskies quarterback was expected to participate in one final game before he started focusing on his preparation for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Penix, along with fellow seniors such as Bo Nix and Spencer Rattler, has spent the week down at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, practicing and preparing for Saturday’s game. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Penix, who was projected to start, won’t be playing at all.
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Michael Penix Jr.’s decision not to play could be due to fellow teammates
On the surface, it’s an odd decision by Michael Penix Jr. not to play. It’s his one last chance to make a strong impression for NFL scouts and talent evaluators in attendance. After ending his season with a dud in the College Football Playoff, Penix likely could have used a bounceback performance.
Yet, Penix will instead stay sidelined, hoping the work he did during Senior Bowl practices will be enough to stand on. While the move is a unique one, he’s not alone in this endeavor.
Several other players from his team have decided to skip the game portion of the Senior Bowl too, hoping to stay healthy ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine set to take place from Feb. 29 to March 3. One source even said the National team’s roster has been “gutted.”
Because Penix won’t be working with a full roster, which may include as few as just a handful of receivers, he apparently has decided not to participate in the game at all.
This means Bo Nix is likely to start, where he’s expected to play a few series for the National team, leaving Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman in line to receive the bulk of snaps at quarterback.
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