Michael Penix Jr.
Photo: Atlanta Falcons, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons2

Sports / NFL / Atlanta Falcons

Michael Penix Jr.

Quarterback, Atlanta Falcons · #9.

Player facts

Team
Atlanta Falcons
Position
Quarterback
Number
9
Born
May 8, 2000 (age 26)
Birthplace
Tampa, FL, USA
Height
6' 3"
Weight
220 lbs
College
Washington
Experience
3 seasons
Status
Active

Stats

2026 Passing

CMPATTCMP%YDSAVGTDINTLNGSACKRTGCARYDSAVGTDLNG
Regular Season527767.57199.331684104.8640.705
Career27945860.93,4767.6157692189.034852.5215

Advanced stats

2026 season through week 6. EPA per play is the points a play added to the team’s expected score; success rate is the share of plays that kept the offense on schedule; CPOE is completion percentage over what the throws’ difficulty predicted. Rank is by EPA per play.

Plays EPA/playSuccessCPOELeague rank
Passing119 dropbacks+0.1245%-1.513th of 32

NFL data: nflverse, CC BY 4.0.

Recent games

PassingRushing
DateOpponentResultCMPATTYDSCMP%AVGTDINTLNGSACKRTGQBRCARYDSAVGTDLNG
vs BALL 30-23 OT193224059.47.51036393.258.9284.005
@ NOW 45-24152022375.011.210371127.776.62-2-1.00-1
@ GBW 35-14182525672.010.211680101.487.72-2-1.00-1

Last 3 games. Click a game for its box score.

About

Michael Tarrence Penix Jr. ( PENN-iks; born May 8, 2000) is an American professional football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). After three seasons of college football with the Indiana Hoosiers that were limited by injury, Penix had a breakout year with the Washington Huskies in 2022 when he led the FBS in yards per game and set the school season record for passing yards. The following year, he won the Maxwell Award after leading the NCAA in passing yards en route to an appearance in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship. Penix was selected by the Falcons eighth overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

From Wikipedia’s article on Michael Penix Jr., shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.1

Background

Early life

Penix was born in Cookeville, Tennessee, but later moved and was raised in Dade City, Florida. Penix attended Tampa Bay Technical High School and started at quarterback for the Titans for two seasons, passing for 4,243 yards with 61 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He committed to Indiana University to play college football, as a 3-star recruit according to 247 sports.

Indiana

As a true freshman for the Hoosiers in 2018 at Indiana, Penix played in three games, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and was redshirted. He completed 21 of 34 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown. Named the starter entering the 2019 season, Penix, however, only played in six games due to injury, completing 110 of 160 passes for 1,394 yards, with ten touchdowns and four interceptions. Penix returned to Indiana as the starter for the pandemic-shortened season in 2020. In the first game of the season, Penix scored the game winning two-point conversion to give Indiana a 36-35 victory over Penn State. On November 30, he was ruled out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in a win against Maryland.

Washington

Penix transferred to the University of Washington in December 2021. He was the FBS leader in passing yards per game for the 2022 season (357) and led the Huskies to an 11–2 record. He threw 4,641 passing yards, becoming the Washington Huskies all-time single-season passing leader during the Alamo Bowl. He was named AP Comeback Player of the Year.

In his senior year, Penix led the 2023 Huskies to an undefeated 13-0 regular season, a victory over Texas in the CFP Semifinal Game, and the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship game, which they lost 34–13 to Michigan. Penix won the Maxwell Award and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, the highest ever for a Husky. He led the NCAA in passing yards with 4,903, beating his previously set University of Washington single-season passing yards record. Penix was named MVP of the Pac-12 Championship Game, leading UW to a win over rival No. 5 Oregon, and threw for 27-for-39 for 319 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Personal life

On December 29, 2024, Penix announced his engagement to his girlfriend Olivia Carter. The couple married on May 2, 2026.

Penix is a Christian.

Penix's father was a running back for the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles in the 1990s and holds several school rushing records; his mother ran track at Tennessee Tech.

From Wikipedia’s article on Michael Penix Jr., shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article.1

Falcons’ next games

Full schedule.

Recent results

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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