Junior quarterback Paris Penn agreed that his first two years of collegiate football can be summed up in one word: "frustrating".    

Following a redshirt year, Penn began the 2013 season as the Viking's backup signal caller. Injuries plagued him that year.    

More of the same last year.    

After starting with a flash - 112-yard rushing game and two touchdowns against Oregon State, then a strong performance against Western Oregon - he suffered a shoulder separation.    

"Last year, because I couldn't finish the season, the OSU game would be the highlight because it was against a Pac-12 team," said Penn, the 2015 recipient of the Norm Daniels Endowed Scholarship.     

Later in the season, shoulder healed, he tried to come back at home against Idaho State.

"I played a couple of series and the shoulder felt good. I ran the ball a couple of times and the shoulder felt good. Then I landed on the shoulder and it gave out. I separated the AC joint," he said with a grimace.    

And that second time raised some questions.     

"I started to question…should I be putting my body through this. After all, the main reason I came to college was to get a degree," said the academic senior who is on track to graduate next spring with a degree in Child and Family Studies. "I want to work with kids. I love kids, working with them and being around kids. If I can help guide kids, that's what I want to do."

But that's when he realized just how much he loved the game of football.     

"I've discovered that I really do love football and I have a tremendous love of the game. It's been exciting to get back to 100 percent and be able to go in spring workouts this year," Penn said.      

He credited his mother, LuCinda Thurman, with keeping him focused on the game. "My mom helped get me through this. She'd say to me 'don't give up, you've put too much time and effort into this. Don't give up'," he said.       

Last summer and this, Penn has been working on his passing.     

"I've been stressing passing accuracy the last couple of years. I want to bring it all together, not just run. I want to have the complete package," said Penn.     

Viking Offensive Coordinator and Quarterback Coach Steve Cooper sees him in the mix for the starting position in 2015.      

"He's a gifted athlete and a leader. He's just too good a player for us not to want the ball in his hands," Cooper said.    

Penn's expectations for this year are high, but he mostly mentions team, rather than personal goals.     

"My biggest expectation is to stay healthy. After that, I want to do whatever my teammates need me to do. I want to support the team whether I'm on the field or not. I want to do what I can to make this team win.      

Going into fall drills, the quarterback competition was strong. But that competition "makes it all work. It makes everyone work harder. This isn't competing with each other. At the end of the day, we're all still teammates and having that depth will be valuable to our ability to win this fall."      

Going into his senior year, Penn's classroom work has gotten stronger. He's carried above a 3.00 GPA for the last four quarters. "Now that I'm taking classes I care about, I'm doing better."     

He's thought about coaching after college and has been asked to help coach quarterbacks already. "I'll look at that after I graduate. I'd like to look at coaching football or baseball (he played shortstop and right field at Portland's Grant High School).      

But for now he's excited.      

"I'm excited to be back on the field. This team is too good not to compete for the Big Sky Conference Championship.  I'll be ready to play ball this fall," he said.