Photo by Walt Sterneman
Daddy Hoosier | October 16, 2020
It's no secret that great quarterback play can elevate a football team faster than anything else. And the Hoosiers have one of the best young QBs in the country in Sophomore Michael Penix Jr (#9).
Penix wowed Indiana fans in 2019 with obvious arm talent and unusual composure and maturity for a redshirt Freshman. He completed .688 of his passes and threw for 232.3 yards per game and 10 touchdowns in six appearances.
The extra zip on his throws gets the ball out to the perimeter a split second faster, giving the receiver extra time to read and react to defenders. That split second may seem inconsequential but can be the difference between 3 yards and 17 yards (or taking it to the house). And with a 'flick of the wrist' he can toss the ball 60-70 yards downfield, seemingly effortlessly - allowing speedsters at wideout the opportunity to take the top off a defense.
Penix completed an amazing 20 straight passes at Michigan State last year so there is a rare combination of arm-strength and accuracy. Remember that it's possible to throw a completion that is not terribly accurate. A receiver can bail the quarterback out with a great catch or by making an adjustment to the ball in the air. That said, according to PFF Penix threw the highest percentage of accurate passes of all Big Ten Quarterbacks in 2019. He also made great decisions under duress by quickly identifying pressure and getting the ball out, consistently making the right read. He also took care of the ball and rarely tried to force something that wasn't there.
Penix did struggle with injuries which caused him to miss the second half of of the season (shoulder). The Sophomore from Tampa, FL comes into 2020 visibly bigger and stronger and if he can say healthy a lot of pundits believe Indiana and hang with the upper tier of Big Ten competition.
The talented QB is more than capable of hurting defenses with his feet as well, though last year under the departed Offensive Quarterback Kalen DeBoer it was clearly a pass first mentality. (Penix had 22 rushes for 119 yards and 2 TDs last season.) The IUFB believes Penix's use as a runner in 2020 should be somewhat limited and that when he does run he should take what he can get and then slide or get out of bounds. This live to fight another day mentality will help the Hoosiers in terms of the big picture.
Penix threw for a career high 326 yards vs Ball State in his first career start and had back to back 3 TD games at Michigan State and vs Rutgers. He also accounted for 12 total TDs in just 6 games.
Penix has been named to the 2020 Maxwell Award Watch List (best all-around player).
Sophomore Jack Tuttle (#14) is the front-runner to back-up Penix in 2020. Tuttle is a California kid who transferred from Utah in 2019. In limited action last year he was 6 of 11 of 34 yards. He also rushed the ball 5 times for 20 yards. He earned a 4 star rating by both Rivals and 247Sports as a recruit and was ranked in the Top 5 nationally as a pro style QB by both.
True Freshman Dexter Williams II (#5) was All State in Georgia and was named Middle Georgia Player of the Year by The Macon Telegraph. As a Senior threw for 1,524 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushed for 984 yards and 14 TDs. That's a combined 2,508 yards and 29 touchdowns. During his Junior and Senior seasons he combined for 5,088 total yards and 61 TDs and was ranked the 21st dual-threat quarterback in the country by 247Sports. Williams participated in the 2020 Blue-Grey All-American Bowl and enrolled in the Spring so that he could participate in practice.
Redshirt Freshman Zach Merrill (#15) was All State at Hobart High School in 2018.
Freshman Grant Gremel (#16) was a walk-on in 2019 and played for Noblesville where he also lettered in basketball.
Freshman Will Jontz (#25) hails from Brighton, MI where he lettered in football three times. He also lettered in basketball and track and field.
Coach
Nick Sheridan is the Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach for the Hoosiers. In 2017 Sheridan was named one of the top 30 coaches under 30 by 247Sports. He has tutored the likes of Peyton Hendershot, Peyton Ramsey, Richard Lagow and Joshua Dobbs (Tennessee). He was also chosen to follow Willie Taggart from Western Kentucky to South Florida in 2013.
- Tight Ends, Indiana 2019
- Quarterbacks, Indiana 2017-18
- Graduate Assistant, Tennessee 2014-2016
- Passing Game Coordinator / Quarterbacks, South Florida 2013
- Passing Game Coordinator / Quarterbacks, Western Kentucky 2012
- Graduate Assistant, Western Kentucky 2011
- Quarterbacks, Saline HS (Alma Mater) 2010
Originally published here:
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Photo by Walt Sterneman Daddy Hoosier | October 16, 2020 It’s no secret that great quarterback play can elevate a football team faster than anything else. And the Hoosiers have one of the bes…
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