Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. hosts free youth camp in Dade City

Michael Penix Jr. spent Saturday morning at Mickens Field in Dade City running a free youth football camp for 270 boys and girls ages 6 through 14. It was the second straight year the Atlanta Falcons quarterback brought the event home, and about 20 volunteer coaches helped guide the drills.

The June 27 camp gave local families more than a photo opportunity. Children caught passes from Penix, worked through football drills and got direct instruction from a player who has reached the NFL while still tied to the same field where he grew up. Penix stayed on the field throughout the morning, helping lead sessions and talking with campers as they moved from station to station.

Penix said Mickens Field holds “a lot of memories,” and told the campers to “have fun” and “be where your feet” are. He also said, “This community helped me get to where I am.” That message fit the setting: a free event in Pasco County that gave children access to an NFL quarterback without a cost barrier, while putting volunteer coaches in front of one of the area’s biggest sports names.

Dade City Mayor Pro Tem Normita Woodard called the turnout “a product of what happens when we do things right,” reflecting how much the city has leaned into Penix’s success. The camp also built on last year’s hometown celebration, when Dade City unveiled a street sign reading “Michael Penix Jr. St.” and Penix hosted another youth camp in the city.

For Dade City, the camp has become more than a one-off stop. It now looks like an annual summer visit that gives young players a chance to see an NFL starter in person, hear his advice and spend a morning inside the same local sports culture that shaped him. That matters in a town that still claims Penix as one of its own.

The timing carried added weight because Penix has been working back from a season-ending left-knee ACL injury suffered in November 2025. He had not yet been cleared for full 11-on-11 work in June, but he was still expected to be ready for Week 1, making his decision to spend a Saturday morning in Dade City a visible sign that the hometown connection remains intact.