Colts’ Pennix plays for brother he never met
INDIANAPOLIS – Trent Pennix is playing for someone he never got to meet. His older brother, Travis.
Travis died in his sleep at only 1 year old, a victim of sudden infant death syndrome. Trent Pennix carries his brother’s legacy with him wherever he goes.
“When my parents told me, it broke me down,” Pennix said. “I knew I had a purpose in life, knowing that I was a blessing for my parents”
He has carried the legacy of his brother all the way to the NFL.
Pennix, who spent most of his career at North Carolina State as a tight end, is now in the Colts rookie minicamp as a running back, the position he played in high school.
His career with the Wolfpack was marred by injury – a separated right shoulder in 2021, a fractured left scapula in 2022 – but he fought through to put on a Colts uniform.
He fought through for Travis.
“That’s my why,” Pennix said. “Literally everything I do is for him. When there are times when stuff gets rough, when I feel like I’m about to quit, workouts are too hard, practice is too hard, I look to the sky and say, ‘This is for you, bro.’ ”
The advantage of size
Pennix is arguably the most intriguing undrafted free agent the Colts have signed so far.
He has a massive physique for a running back: a 6-foot-1-inch, 234-pound frame that should not be as explosive as it is. Pennix ran the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds at his pro day and posted solid numbers in the vertical and broad jumps.
Pennix rushed for 3,039 yards and 35 touchdowns at Sanderson High in Raleigh, N.C., drawing the attention of plenty of programs. Still, he believed his days as a running back were long past.
“Teams were looking at me as a fullback and an H-back, kind of a hybrid guy,” Pennix said. “The Colts were the only team that was offering me to play as a running back. When all the options closed down, the Colts were still standing, I was like, I guess I’m going to make the switch back.”
Indianapolis had somebody in the building who’d seen what Pennix could do as a running back: Colts running backs coach Deandre Smith, who was on staff at North Carolina charged with recruiting Pennix to the Tar Heels.
Honestly, Pennix didn’t remember Smith until the coach mentioned a hight school showcase game.
“It’s crazy how it comes full circle,” Pennix said.
But the real credit for the signing goes to scout Andrew Hoyle.
“Our pro (scouts) will look at all the guys we have rated as priority free agents, seventh-round types, and they will help us separate them and stack them,” Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds said. “Hoyle mentioned: ‘Hey, this guy has a unique deal catching the ball out of the backfield. He’s played back there. I think he can be a thirddown back.’ ”
Third-down backs are often smaller, agile types. Evan Hull and Tyler Goodson, the other two running backs on the Colts roster who play the third-down role, are listed at 5 feet, 10 inches, 209 pounds and 5 feet, 9 inches, 197 pounds, respectively.
Pennix’s bulk has a benefit. He can take on a blitzing linebacker or a free pass rusher and deliver a significant blow of his own. He can move the pile as a runner.
“Put me in packages where you need goal-line, short distance, anything where you need me to get those two, three extra yards,” Pennix said. “If you need the between-the-tackle yards, I’m more of a guy you can use that for, or protecting the quarterback.”
The Colts were sure enough that they guaranteed $10,000 of his salary, a modest sum but still on the higher end of the incentives Indianapolis gave its seven undrafted free agents this year.
Now Pennix is back in his old position, aimed on carving out a career in the NFL.