Michael Penix Jr. just led his team, the Washington Huskies, into the 2024 College Football National Championship. Though they lost, it was a wild year for Penix after he left the Indiana Hoosiers’ football program following numerous season-ending injuries. But more important than the outcome is that Penix has faith in God, a faith he credits with his resilience and which he credits with his career success.
Penix spoke about his faith in August of 2023, as the college football season got going, commenting on how his faith helped him make it through his doubts and his numerous health troubles, such as injuries that ended his football season numerous times and caused many tears and much heartbreak and embarrassment for him.
Speaking to the Pac-12 Network on that in August, Penix said that he would “cry to God” and beg to be protected. He said, commenting on those dark days, “There were times when I’d wake up the day of the game, and I’d wait until my roommate leaves, and I’d just lie on the floor and I’d just cry to God, just praying that he’d protect me that day.”
He then credited resilience for his success after those dark times, telling the network, “Everything that I’ve accomplished to this day, it came with a lot of heartbreak, a lot of tears. Nothing was going to be easy to be great. I’m more than just a football player, and deep down inside as a person, I’m a guy that’s never going to quit.”
And, when asked in October how he managed to make it through a rough game and lead his team to victory, he credited his on-field resilience to the “Man upstairs.” he said, “I gotta give credit to the Man upstairs. I just thank God for everything. He put me through it, allowed me to get to the spot I am today, man, and it was a tough game, but I knew we’ll be able to pull it off. You got to continue to keep asking and keep pushing. I’m just super excited.”
Then, a bit later in the interview, he added that he thanks God for everything, saying, “Appreciate the rest of Husky nation, always supportive. And I just just so proud. So proud of this team. You know, I just thank God for everything that he allowed me to.”
Watch him here:
Further, on New Year’s Day, 2024, Penish said during an on-field interview that he credits “the Man Above” for his success and where he made it in football. he said, “I don’t want to say that I was gonna quit, but it did get hard for me at times, you know, and I had to lean on the ones that I love the most.
Continuing, he added, “But it means a lot to be here. I’m super blessed, and I gotta thank the Man Above. I gotta thank God for everything that he’s put me through to get to this point. It’s been a blessing and I’ve been enjoying the journey.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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