Falcons Penix Hosts First Youth Camp, Gets Hometown Street Named After Him

The Atlanta Falcons quarterback was honored by his hometown after while hoting youth camp

It was a busy weekend for Atlanta Falcons second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. , and one he’ll likely remember for years to come.

Penix Jr. cemented his status as a hometown hero when a street was officially named in his honor in Dade City, Florida, where he grew up.

Later in the weekend, he followed up the honor by hosting his first free youth football camp, which drew more than 200 participants.

During his high school days, Penix Jr. played at Tampa Bay Technical High School where he threw for 4,243 yards and 61 touchdowns throughout two seasons as the Titans’ starting varsity quarterback.

The Florida native ultimately ended up being a three-star recruit, spending three seasons at Indiana University before wrapping up his collegiate career at the University of Washington, where he set the programs single-season passing yards record in each season.

As a rookie, Penix Jr. finished the season as PFF’s eighth-highest graded quarterback (87.9, min.100 attempts), completing 58.1% of his passes for 775 yards and three touchdowns.

Heading into his second NFL season, Penix Jr. told Falcons on SI that he’s starting to feel more comfortable and confident at the pro level.

“Now that I have this offseason with them to get that connection—it’s going to be special,” Penix said. “Going into my second year and having a better understanding of the game and the playbook.  I can be able to voice my opinion on different things, or talk to the guys about how we want a certain play to look.”