ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons have officially named Michael Penix Jr. as their new starting quarterback.
The Falcons made the change and benched Kirk Cousins on Tuesday ahead of this Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.
Here are a few things to know about the Falcons’ new QB1.
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Penix Jr. grew up in Tennessee and Florida.
Michael Penix Jr. was born on May 8, 2000 in Cookeville, Tennessee where his parents met at Tennessee Tech University. He was born at the hospital near the campus. The family later moved to Dade City, Florida located near Tampa.
Penix Jr. excelled as a dual-threat quarterback at Tampa Bay Technical High School. He threw for 61 touchdowns and ran for another 16 during his two seasons as a starter. He was later named Hillsborough County Player of the Year and was ranked the No. 13 pro-style quarterback nationally by Rivals.
Penix Jr. comes from a family of athletes.
Remember how Penix Jr.’s parents met at Tennessee Tech? Well, both were also star athletes for the Golden Eagles.
His mother, Takisha Penix, exceled on the women’s track and field team. His father, Michael Penix Sr., remains one of the best players to put on a Tennessee Tech football uniform.
Penix Sr. remains in the record books for the longest touchdown run in program history and most rushing yards in a single game. He was selected three times as an All-Ohio Valley Conference player for the Golden Eagles.
Tennessee Tech recently inducted Penix Sr. into the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame as members of its 50th class.
Falcons first round pick Michael Penix Jr. has a family connection to the @tennesseetech who play the Bulldogs this afternoon. See this and more on Gameday at 11 am on @wsbtv . #RiseUp #dirtybirds #nfl #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/WfrizxaH4m
— Alison Mastrangelo (@AlisonWSB) September 7, 2024
He also played baseball and ran track in high school.
It wasn’t just football that Penix Jr. exceled for Tampa Bay Technical High School. He also played centerfield for the school’s baseball team.
Penix Jr. also followed in his mother’s footsteps as a member of the track and field team. According to his college bios, Penix Jr. jumped 22 feet in the long jump and had a 22.8 time in the 200-meter dash.
Penix Jr. made a name for himself at Washington, but went to Indiana first.
Penix Jr. may have been drafted from the University of Washington, but his college career started 2,200 miles away from Seattle in Bloomington, Indiana.
The quarterback committed to Indiana University out of high school. He played for the Hoosiers from 2018 until 2021, but had to deal with several injuries, including a torn ACL.
He used his final years of eligibility and transferred to Washington. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sports marketing and management.
He stacked up the awards with the Huskies.
Penix Jr.’s career-best season came during his final year with the Washington Huskies. The quarterback led the Huskies to an undefeated Pac-12 championship season and a win in the Sugar Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
During his final season, Penix Jr. threw for 4,903 yards and 36 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions. Penix Jr. won the Maxwell Award for the nation’s most outstanding player and the Sugar Bowl’s most valuable player award. He finished runner-up in the Heisman Trophy race.
Information from Indiana Hoosiers and Washington Huskies athletic departments was used in this report.
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