Michael Penix Jr. announces he's returning to Washington for 2023 season

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 04: Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Washington Huskies celebrates after beating Oregon State Beavers 24-21 at Husky Stadium on November 04, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. announced Sunday night that he will return to the Huskies for the 2023 season and forego entering his name in the NFL Draft.

In a message posted to his Twitter and instagram accounts, Penix stated his intentions to continue his college career with the Huskies next season.

Dear Husky nation, first of all, I would like to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to play this wonderful sport that I have been in love with all of my life. I would like to thank all of Husky Nation and the University of Washington for believing in me and supporting me and my teammates in this wonderful journey. I am so blessed for the relationships that I have built here and the amazing moments that we went through this season that will last a lifetime. I want to thank this coaching staff for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be here to play at UW in the greatest setting of college football. After long talks with family, coaches, and other trusted support, I had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life for what I feel is best for my future. And with that being said, as I look back on this special season we had, I realized there were so many great moments and things to celebrate, but I KNOW there is so much more out there for this team and the job is still not finished! I can't wait to be back playing in Husky Stadium for the 2023 season!

Husky Nation… Let's Ride.
Go Dawgs! 

Penix is one of a handful of candidates in the running for the Heisman Trophy this season after leading the nation in passing with 4,354 yards. Penix has completed 330-of-500 passes (66.0 percent) this season for the Huskies with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions after transferring from the University of Indiana. Penix also rushed for four touchdowns as well.

Washington had a disastrous 2021 season where they went 4-8 and fired head coach Jimmy Lake after just one season in the job. Under new head coach Kalen DeBoer, who was Penix's offensive coordinator previously at Indiana, the Huskies surged to a 10-2 record this season that earned them a place in the Alamo Bowl against No. 21 Texas on December 29.

Penix's standout performances carried the Huskies to a perfect 7-0 record at home with only road losses to UCLA, 40-32, and Arizona State, 45-38. It also made him a likely early pick in the NFL Draft should he have elected to turn pro.

Instead, Penix's return for a sixth season will make the Huskies favorites in the Pac-12 heading into next year and a potential college football playoff contender as well.