USC Trojans star Caleb Williams comes into the 2023 season as the preseason favorite to win the Heisman trophy this season. But if anyone can potentially steal the award away from him, it may be Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
Washington come into the season with a ton of hype, entering Saturday’s game against the Boise State Broncos as the No. 10 ranked team in the country.
Penix Jr. in particular comes into the season with a real chance to potentially win the Heisman if he has a great year. Ahead of the season, he was listed with the fifth-best odds to win the award by BetMGM, sitting at 14-1 to win the award.
His performance against Boise State should certainly help those odds, throwing for 450 yards and five touchdowns in a dominant 56-19 victory.
Fans took notice of this ridiculous performance and believe that he could indeed win the Heisman if he continues this level of play throughout the season.
Penix Jr. may not have the name recognition of a player like Caleb Williams or have a big-name school behind him like Texas’s Quinn Ewers. But Penix Jr. is among the top quarterbacks in college football, and many fans have known this since last season.
The Washington standout was also excellent last year, finishing with the second-most passing yards in Division 1 college football last season, ahead of players like Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
Washington and Penix Jr. will look to continue their impressive offensive output in their Week 2 matchup against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.