Description: The award recognizes college football student-athletes for overcoming injury, illness, or other circumstances. The three honorees were selected in a vote by a panel of AP writers, editors, sports information directors, and Fiesta Bowl Organization representatives.
College Sports Communicators (formerly College Sports Information Directors of America [CoSIDA]), in association with The Associated Press (AP) and the Fiesta Bowl Organization, today announced Michael Penix Jr. (QB, University of Washington), Mohamed Ibrahim (RB, University of Minnesota), and Laiatu Latu (LB, UCLA) as the three winners of 2022 College Football Comeback Player of the Year Award.
During his four seasons at the University of Indiana, Michael Penix Jr. suffered season-ending injuries every season. In both 2018 and 2020, he sustained season-ending ACL injuries, and in 2019 a right sternoclavicular joint injury ended his year after leading the Hoosiers to a 5-1 record. Then his 2021 season ended after five games due to an AC joint injury in his left throwing shoulder. In all, the talented lefty missed 25 of a possible 51 games.
Hoping a change of scenery would change his luck, in 2022, the Tampa, Fla., native transferred to the University of Washington. He led the Huskies to a 10-2 record and an upcoming showdown with Texas in the Alamo Bowl. He finished the regular season first in NCAA-FBS in passing yards (4,354) and yards per game (362.8), as well as second in total offense and third in completions per game. In all, he completed 330 of 500 passes with 29 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He also added four rushing touchd