College football players from across the country gather in Mobile, Alabama, each year to tout their draft stock at the Senior Bowl. Yet while some players go all-out for the game, others opt not to play to avoid injury.
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is among the players who have decided not to take the field for the National team Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Per Sporting News sources, Oregon quarterback Bo Nix is expected to take snaps sparingly. Former Notre Dame and Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman will take the bulk of the snaps for the National team in the showcase.
Penix finished as the Heisman runner-up and came just short of a national title in Washington's loss to Michigan in the championship game. So even without the Senior Bowl, he projects as an early NFL Draft pick.
In his final collegiate season, Penix showed notable mechanical improvements which led to increased accuracy. He showed as much during the practice week leading up to the Senior Bowl.
Michael Penix career stats
Penix was nominated for the Heisman Trophy after his breakout season with the Huskies, and was the frontrunner for the award for quite some time. He finished behind just LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.
As the table below shows, his numbers in Washington have been remarkable after he escaped the injury bug that pestered him in his time with Indiana. While Penix has said before he wouldn't change anything about his career, the thought of a healthy Penix throughout his time in college is tantalizing.
| Year | Team | Comp | Att | Passing yards | TD | INT |
| 2018 | Indiana | 21 | 34 | 219 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | Indiana | 110 | 160 | 1,394 | 10 | 4 |
| 2020 | Indiana | 124 | 220 | 1,645 | 14 | 4 |
| 2021 | Indiana | 87 | 162 | 939 | 4 | 7 |
| 2022 | Washington | 362 | 554 | 4,641 | 31 | 8 |
| 2023 | Washington | 363 | 555 | 4,903 | 36 | 11 |
| Total | 1,067 | 1,685 | 13,741 | 96 | 34 |
Players expected to sit out Senior Bowl
- QB Michael Penix Jr.
- WR Roman Wilson
- WR Jacob Cowing
- DB Quinton Mitchell
- DB Khyree Jackson
- WR Ricky Pearsall
- LB Payton Wilson
- WR Brenden Rice
- DL Laiatu Latu
- DL Braiden McGregor
- RB Rasheen Ali
- DB Johnny Dixon
- DB Sione Vaki
- OL Trevor Keegan
- DL Michael Hall
- OL Jackson Powers-Johnson
- OL Zach Frazier
- DL Brennan Jackson
- DL Tyler Davis
- RB Marshawn Lloyd
- DB Max Melton
- OL Ladarius Henderson
- OL Taliese Fuaga
- WR Malachi Corley
- DL Brandon Dorlus