The following, a weekly feature of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, allows our reporters to open their notebooks and provide even more information from our local teams that we cover daily. We think you’ll find it informative, insightful and fun.
Penix made a good first impression over offseason
Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. did not take one snap with first-team left tackle Jake Matthews over the offseason.
That clearly signaled that the Falcons plan to groom and develop Penix behind Kirk Cousins this season after taking him with the eighth overall pick in the NFL draft.
“He’s been as advertised,” Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said. “What we saw coming out. Extremely talented with what he can do throwing the football. He’s got a great demeanor. I know the guys love him in the QB room. He’s just an easy guy to be around. He’s learning a lot.”
It will be interesting to see how much the Falcons play Penix in the exhibition games. The team is set to report for training camp July 24.
“We (threw) a ton at him,” Robinson said. “He has a long way to go. But you certainly, the things that you saw on tape from college definitely have been confirmed.”
Penix signed a four-year, $22.88 million deal with a $13.46 million signing bonus. The Falcons flipped the draft upside down by selecting Penix after signing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency to a four-year contract worth up to $180 million.
The Falcons attempted to install their new offense over the offseason.
“He’s (digested) everything,” Robinson said. “What a great guy to learn from in Kirk. Kirk is just so open about everything. It will be cool to see those guys’ relationship (as it) continues to develop.”
Penix will attempt to learn by watching Cousins.
“It’s up to Mike to just soak everything up from the film room, taking mental reps when Kirk is out there and he’s standing in the back watching,” Robinson said. “We definitely have seen some good strides from Mike in this short amount of time, but a lot of it is just getting to see a veteran quarterback. How he operates. How he gets in and out of a huddle, all those little things that you can take for granted as a young guy.”
T.J. Yates, the Falcons’ first-year quarterback coach, will be in charge of Penix’s day-to-day development.
“Everything is going to be a learning experience for Mike as he goes in this progression of being a rookie,” Yates said. “That’s just how it is. Especially, with the rookie schedule with how it is. He’s now going to have the time to fully sit down and evaluate everything that happened this year until the next offseason.”
Penix guided Washington to the College Football Playoff Championship game last season.
“The way it is, he’s going straight from a national championship, straight in to draft prep, straight into draft meetings, visits, all that stuff, and then he comes straight in here and it’s all about ball,” Yates said.
Like Robinson, Yates has been impressed with how Penix handled the offseason.
“He’s got to do a good job of balancing how he’s going to handle these things,” Yates said, who was a record-setting college quarterback at North Carolina and went on to carve himself out a seven-year NFL career with the Texans, Dolphins and Falcons. “How much he’s going to learn, taking his mental breaks when he can because … the rookie wall is the real thing. If you don’t take your time and step away when you have that opportunity, it can end up catching up to you in the end.”
Yates, who played at Pope High, likes Penix’s work ethic.
“He’s been great so far,” Yates said. “He’s been so open to learn everything. Eager to learn. He’s working his butt off.”
Koger a fast riser as NFL tight ends coach
One of the key members on new Falcons coach Raheem Morris’ coaching staff is tight end coach Kevin Koger, a former player at Michigan.
When the Falcons open training camp, Koger, 34, will be charged with helping tight end Kyle Pitts unlock his vast potential.
Koger played high school football in Ohio (Toledo Whitmer) before crossing the border and playing for the Wolverines. After his playing days, which included being named All-Big Ten honorable mention, he started his coaching career at Saline (Mich.) High (2012). He coached in the college ranks at Michigan (2013-14), Tennessee (2015) and Eastern Kentucky (2016).
He broke into the NFL with the Packers as an offensive quality-control assistant for two seasons (2019-20) before he was named the Chargers’ tight ends coach (2021-23).
In Green Bay, he worked with tight ends Marcedes Lewis, Jimmy Graham and Robert Tonyan. When he was with the Chargers, he had tight end Jared Cook, who starred at South Carolina and North Gwinnett High. He also coached Gerald Everett, who played at South Alabama and Columbia High, to a career high in catches last season, with 51.
“I feel like I’ve been fortunate enough, even though I haven’t been in the league as long as some other guys, being able to be around good players has helped out a lot,” Koger said. “Really good coaches that I’ve learned under. In Green Bay, we won a lot of games. I really believe in what we did there.”
Koger also noted that watching former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams provided some experiential learning.
“Just taking those experiences and being able to use those to help the guys,” Koger said. “I’ve been fortunate so far.”
Justin Peelle, who was the Falcons’ tight end coach under Arthur Smith for the past three seasons, was named Tampa Bay’s tight ends coach in March.
Language barrier
Hawks top draft pick Zaccharie Risacher may be thousands of miles away from his home in France, but his teammates have tried to help him feel at home in Atlanta.
As he gets adjusted to life with the Hawks, he’s had a French connection with teammates.
Fellow 2024 NBA draft classmate Nikola Djurisic had a French teammate on Mega KK in Serbia, Malcolm Cazalon, who played for the Pistons last season.
“Obviously he doesn’t speak French, but find good words, bad words sometimes,” Risacher said. “He’s got a good accent. So, it is funny.”
Risacher also can speak French with sophomore wing Mo Gueye, who is from Senegal.
The language barrier will take a little getting used to, but Gueye thinks once they cross it, everyone will need to watch out.
“I think for them, if they understand a little bit of English, I think it’s gonna be over for a lot of people,” Gueye said. “But hopefully in a year or two, they will be more connected to the system. I try to help them as much as I can. Like, tell them you gotta be here even off the court, like spot to eat and all that.”
Credit: Photo courtesy of Atlanta United
Credit: Photo courtesy of Atlanta United
Atlanta United training ground expansion underway
Atlanta United broke ground on the expansion of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground.
The club recently held a ceremonial first dig to commence the expansion project, featuring Atlanta United President and CEO Garth Lagerwey, Vice President and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra, Chief Business Officer Skate Noftsinger, AMB Sports and Entertainment CEO Rich McKay and Marietta Mayor Steve Tumlin.
“We are thrilled to break ground on the expansion of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground,” Lagerwey said in a statement. “This is the next step in our commitment to developing top-tier talent, while providing world-class facilities for our current players and future generations of Atlanta United players. It will also serve as the premier destination for international clubs and federations that come to play in Atlanta, as we recently hosted the U.S. Women’s National Team ahead of the 2024 SheBelieves Cup and the U.S., Canada and Panama Men’s National Teams for the 2024 Copa America. We are grateful for the support from our Chairman Arthur Blank, whose ambition has allowed our club to continue investing in the future of soccer in our region.”
Announced April 11, the expansion will be highlighted by a two-story, 20,000 square-foot development that will include numerous additions and improvements for player health and well-being, a state-of-the-art content production studio and dedicated space for its academy and front office associates. The $23 million project will push total investment in the Marietta campus in excess of $85 million. The expansion nearly will double the footprint to 50,000 square feet, in addition to more than 500,000 square feet of playing surface, inclusive of six full-size fields and two warmup areas.
Tech honors athletes for classroom achievements
On Thursday, the ACC recognized 245 Georgia Tech athletes for their achievements in the classroom during the 2023-24 academic year with the announcement of the annual Academic Honor Roll.
Of the 245 Yellow Jackets recognized, 84 made the list for at least the third time in their college careers and 46 earned the recognition for the fourth or fifth time and 12 received the honor for the fifth time in their careers.
Track and field and cross country led the way for Tech, placing 68 on the honor roll. Swimming and diving added 47 honorees, while football placed 39 and baseball added 25. As a percentage of athletes on the roster, the golf team had 10 of 11 members on the list, while softball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and volleyball also had more than 60% of their respective teams honored. Tech has placed 200 or more athletes on the list for the past five consecutive years.
Tech swimmers headed to Paris
Tech will be well-represented in the pool at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics as five Jackets will compete for their respective countries.
Rising senior Berke Saka (Turkey; 200-meter backstroke), Ariana Dirkzwager (Laos; 200-meter freestyle), recent graduate Imane El Barodi (Morocco; 100-meter breaststroke) and incoming freshmen Ela Naz Ozdemir (Turkey; 4x200-meter freestyle relay) and Giovana Reis (Brazil; 4x400-meter freestyle relay). Saka will be returning to the Olympics after competing in the same event in Tokyo in 2021. The other four Jackets will be making their Olympic debuts.
Swimming and diving coach Courtney Hart also will be on-hand for the event as Dirkzwager’s coach. It will mark the first time that Hart will return to the summer games since she took home a pair of gold medals in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
-Staff writers D. Orlando Ledbetter, Chad Bishop and Lauren Williams contributed to this report.
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