Sophomore quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was once committed to the University of Tennessee but flipped his commitment in December 2017 to join IU football . It was the same year Nick Sheridan, once a member of the Volunteers’ coaching staff, joined the Hoosiers as their quarterbacks coach.
Sheridan was influential in Penix’s recruiting process out of Tampa, Florida, and it’s no coincidence they united in Bloomington.
Now, after the departure of Kalen DeBoer to California State University, Fresno, Sheridan is the program’s third offensive coordinator in three years. He coached Penix during his freshman year before overseeing the tight ends in 2019, but that didn’t end their relationship.
“We’ve known each other for a long time and that’s what makes coaching special — that’s what makes the game of football special,” Sheridan said Wednesday during a Zoom call. “I’m excited for him to continue to grow, continue to get better, have some fun, stay healthy and me help him along the way.”
Penix said the only difference in their relationship now is that Sheridan will call the plays in 2020.
Sheridan is inheriting an offense that was third in yards per game and fifth in points per game in the Big Ten last season. IU will return to play Oct. 24 and will immeditly start conference play beginning the season against Penn State.
Teams in the Big Ten, including IU, will not have the luxury of a nonconference schedule this fall. The Hoosiers were 3-0 in their nonconference matchups during the regular season in 2019, and they outscored those opponents 124-27.
IU posted a 5-4 conference record last season.
“I think the opportunity has maybe never been greater, obviously because of the difficulty of the schedule,” Sheridan said. “And it’s really how you embrace it and look forward to the competition, and that’s the reason why you coach and play in the Big Ten.”
Penix missed seven games in 2019, including conference matchups against Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State due to injuries. When Penix was unavailable, he was replaced by then-junior quarterback Peyton Ramsey.
Penix said he obviously would have liked to play in those games, but wasn’t disappointed because he feels that everything happens for a reason.
IU lost all three of those games, and without Ramsey, who has since transferred to Northwestern, Penix is the most experienced quarterback on the team with six career starts. All six starts came last season.
Not only will Penix be forced to lead by example as the commander of the offense alongside Sheridan, but he’ll have to lead with experience ahead of the other IU quarterbacks.
“They‘ve got a good look in their eyes,” Sheridan said. “They want to be a really good group and help the team win in any way that they can. So we’ve got to continue to work to get that done and as coaches, put our guys in the best position to be successful.”
Penix said he’s looking forward to returning to the field and is ready to play those top teams in the Big Ten this year.
“We’re definitely going to come out and dominate,” he said. “I feel like we’re going to do good, the team is definitely ready for these big games. And I feel like we’re going to shock the world. I know we are.”
