Unsurprisingly, after the Huskies wrapped up their Spring Preview on Saturday, head coach Kalen DeBoer made it clear there is no chosen starting quarterback as the team heads into summer conditioning.
Through the fifteen practices, Washington held in April each of the three scholarship quarterbacks — sophomore Dylan Morris, junior transfer Michael Penix Jr., and redshirt freshman Sam Huard — showed DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb what they could do. However, none of the trio showed the consistency that the coaches will need for whoever is named as the starter this fall.
“I think each of them bring a little something different,” DeBoer said Saturday when asked what he learned about the position this spring.
“I thought Sam had one of his best days today. I thought he just kept playing. That’s what he’s been doing. He came – as the scrimmage went on he didn’t shy away from trying to make throws and overthink, and I really have an appreciation for that because that’s something I know he’s been working on.
“I think Dylan had some times, and I think there’s something just with all of them, still, where there’s… just being in sync. It might take – a drop here or a drop there, and then they don’t get a chance to get back on the field for another 25 minutes because we rotate three quarterbacks. I think that’s hard part with finding that rhythm. That’s a part of the situation we’re in and I think they’ve made the most of it.
“But, Dylan, I thought – he’s got the arm talent there’s no question. He’s done a pretty good job of protecting the football all spring long, as has Mike. Today I think he (Penix Jr.) did have a couple picks. Not sure what happened on one if a guy fell down or if it was Devin (Culp), or something. But they’ve done a really good job of taking care of the football. Maybe two picks all spring in any session going into today.”
Penix Jr., a transfer from Indiana University who went 5-1 as the Hoosiers starter in 2019 when DeBoer was his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, only threw two interceptions all spring before being picked off twice on Saturday. In his lone season with DeBoer the Tampa, Florida native threw for 1,394 yards and 10 touchdowns with a completion percentage just under 69.
For the first seven or eight practices this spring Penix Jr. was the one taking reps with the first-team offensive unit. In the final six practices, though, Morris took over those reps. As it shook out Saturday, Morris was the third quarterback to take the field with Penix Jr. and Huard getting the first and second series.
The Huskies’ starter over the past two seasons ended the spring preview completing just three passes, due in part to a number of drops, the fewest of any of the three quarterbacks. Despite the dismal statistics where it matters more to the coaches is growth and development from practice one to fifteen.
After the tenth practice of the spring Grubb stated he felt Morris had improved his decision making, Penix Jr. had improved his urgency and Huard had improved his mechanics. For each there is a shared goal to be the teams’ starter on September 3 against Kent State. In their own right all three have a different goal.
Morris, who switched his number from No. 9 to No. 5 this offseason — a number he wore his entire high school career at Graham-Kapowsin, which coincidentally was also the number on the jersey he wore on one of his first unofficial visits to UW — has to learn a new playbook and pick up a different offense without the caveat of having played for DeBoer before.
Penix Jr., on the other hand, has to get acclimated to a new city, new school and new teammates he hasn’t played with before. His advantage is that he knows first-hand the offense that DeBoer and Grubb want to run, and he’s been successful in it. The only defeat Indiana suffered in 2019 when the southpaw was the Hoosiers starter was a 40-31 loss at No. 25 Michigan State.
He completed 33 of 42 pass attempts (78.6 percent) against the Spartans and threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Two of his three touchdowns came in the final fifteen minutes; the second to give Indiana a three point lead early in the fourth quarter and his third tied the game at 31-31 with two minutes remaining.
Even though the Hoosiers lost that type of determination of poise at the helm is what DeBoer wants out of his starting quarterback. Over the next three to four months all three quarterbacks will have the chance to become the leader of the offense.
“Just with the leadership skills and consistency,” Penix Jr. said when asked what improving his urgency looks like. “Just always trying to be the first one everywhere. Trying to make sure that (I’m) being that leader for the young guys. We have a really young team. Just making sure that I help guide these guys in the right direction. With my understanding of the offense all the guys know I knew the offense coming in, so they always look up to me to ask questions and stuff.”
Penix Jr. noted that both Huard and Morris picked up the playbook very quick and they stated this spring that the former Hoosier has been a huge asset for them in the room.
While the two upperclassmen are expected to be the two vying for the starting job in fall camp, the Husky legacy in the room has shown the coaching staff his ability to not only learn the offense quickly but also execute it at a high rate of success.
Huard finished the spring preview completing 12 of 19 passes for 167 yards and one touchdown, roughly a 15-yard completion to his former Kennedy Catholic and FSP 7on7 teammate Junior Alexander on the final drive of the afternoon. The former Lancers had fun with each other during media interviews Saturday with Huard jokingly ribbing his receiver for showing off with a one-handed catch going towards the sideline.
“Did you only need to use one hand on that? I think you could have got it with two. I just think you wanted to show off for the fans,” Huard said, before his receiver responded “I wanted to give the fans a little juice, and I wanted to be on SportsCenter.”
Alexander returned the favor by asking Huard who his favorite receiver on the team was. True to his form the redshirt freshman gave the right answer.
“Oh wow. You’re trying to get me in trouble. All my receivers. I trust them all in crunch time,” Huard said. “Spread the ball around today. A lot of guys made a lot of plays. Junior Alexander made a lot of plays today, so he’s definitely in consideration for that pick. But there’s a lot of great talent here and I’m blessed to have the guys around me that I do.”
Huard made his first start last season in the Apple Cup, a 40-13 loss at home to Washington State. In what turned out to be a culminating result as it pertained to the Huskies offense in 2021 under offensive coordinator John Donovan, Huard was picked off four times by the Cougars and completed just 17 of 31 attempts for 190 yards and one touchdown.
For the son of a former Husky quarterback who put on a gold practice jersey as a seventh-grader at one of the annual Rising Stars Camps under former head coach Chris Petersen, he’s come a long way. But there is plenty of gold still to chase on the green fields ahead.
“I think just having to go through that whole process last year of learning that whole system I feel like really prepared me to kind of have an idea of how to get this playbook down as fast as I could,” Huard said on Thursday ahead of the spring preview.
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