Hoosier State of Mind
Fansided

Indiana Football: Mike Penix named on Manning Award Watch List

By Danny Friedman

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JULY 23: Michael Penix Jr. of the Indiana Hoosiers speaks during the Big Ten Football Media Days at Lucas Oil Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JULY 23: Michael Penix Jr. of the Indiana Hoosiers speaks during the Big Ten Football Media Days at Lucas Oil Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Hoosiers’ QB is set to have a big season.

Jul 23, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Michael Penix Jr. speaks to the media during Big 10 media days at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 23, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Michael Penix Jr. speaks to the media during Big 10 media days at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports /

The Indiana Hoosiers are coming off their best football season in over 50 years. They played complimentary football on both sides of the ball with the offense and defense chipping in with big plays alike.

The offense avoided negative plays and limited turnovers. The defense consistently suffocated the opponent and caused numerous turnovers.

Mike Penix was a big reason for the team’s success. Penix commanded the offense week in and week out and led several upset wins for an up-and-coming Big 10 program.

Penix’s impressive play last year did not go unnoticed. He has earned multiple Preseason awards and honors going into a pivotal 2021 season.

The Manning Award Voting Committee (sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl) named Penix one of 32 QB’s on the preseason watch list for the Manning Award. The Manning Award is named after football’s first family, the Mannings, who were three of the finest college quarterbacks ever. Archie and his two sons, Peyton and Eli, are the most recognizable family in all of football and their lasting impact on the college game is undeniable.

The award itself is determined by the Sugar Bowl Committee. The list currently includes 32 of the NCAA’s top quarterbacks in different conferences.

"“We’re really looking forward to a football season that has a little more sense of normalcy this fall,” said Archie Manning. “There’s so much talent among the returning quarterbacks with the super seniors and so many other top players returning. We have 32 outstanding quarterbacks on the preseason Watch List; and I’m expecting the midseason additions to be very impressive as well with a lot of young guys and transfers expected to make major contributions.”"

Penix is joined by 31 fellow quarterbacks looking to prove themself as the best college quarterback in the country. Penix is competing against two other Big 10 QBs in Sean Clifford and Graham Mertz. Stacking Mike Penix up against his peers is just one way of evaluating the Indiana QB vs everyone else. In fact, Penix beat Clifford in Week 1 last season and Indiana beat Mertz and Wisconsin despite Penix sitting out to injury. Penix’s signature win vs Clifford’s Penn State was highlighted by Penix’s now-famous game-winning diving touchdown for the win in Overtime.

It’s a big season for Mike Penix both on a team level and individually. Winning the Manning Award would be just another form of validation for the IU quarterback.

Home/Indiana Hoosiers