Micah Parsons is one of the best defenders in the NFL. He excelled during his time at Penn State and carried that momentum into the NFL, where the Cowboys drafted him with the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. After a contract dispute, Dallas decided to trade the disgruntled but productive defensive star to the Packers.
Parsons was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He even stayed local for college rather than chasing one of the out-of-state offers he got. Parsons was a five-star recruit and ranked as the fourth-best player in his class by 247Sports.com and No. 7 by ESPN. He committed to Penn State in the Spring of 2016 but then de-committed before re-committing in December 2017.
Parsons has continued his dominance with a high level of play. He often attributes his success to his support system. We introduce you to Parsons' family, including his wife, parents and kids.
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Micah Parsons son: Malcolm Parsons
Micah Parsons' first child is his son Malcolm. He was born in May 2018, in the summer before Parsons went to Penn State. The Nittany Lions linebacker cited his son's health as one of the reasons that he chose to sit out the 2020 season.
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Micah Parsons daughter: Milana Parsons
Micah Parsons' daughter was born in January 2023. The Cowboys had just won a Wild Card playoff game. Scott Van Pelt was interviewing Parsons, and once they covered the football angles, SVP asked about Parson's daughter and being a girl dad.
7.1 ounces! Thank you God for blessing me with most beautiful baby girl! #girldad
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) January 14, 2023
"Every time she cries, I play my favorite artist, Rod Wave, and I sing it to her. She’s got me wrapped already. I can’t wait to get home to her. I can’t wait to get back to just lay with her." Van Pelt gave him a playful chastising, saying, "You've got no shot. You got no shot! Wait until she says ‘I love you daddy.’ There’s nothing better."
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Micah Parsons mom: Sherese Parsons
With Terrence serving in the military, Sherese stayed at home helping raise the couple's three kids, with Micah being the youngest. Micah said that his mom was actually considering an abortion due to financial and emotional strain. Sherese said, "I was like, ‘I’m already struggling’, I told his dad, ‘I think I’m going to the clinic.’ I was really thinking about it.”
She received a call from a woman from her church named Sister Hall, who talked her out of the decision when she found out Sherese was pregnant. Micah said, "That’s why my mom always said, ‘God looks over you, son'. It was one of the first lessons she taught me.”
When Parsons was traded from the Cowboys to the Packers in 2025, he signed a massive four-year, $188 million contract extension. As a result, the EDGE rusher told his mother to finally retire, because he would help her.
Micah Parsons — fresh off getting his $188M contract — posted that he’s officially getting his mom to retire and stop working.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 29, 2025
What a beautiful moment. 👏 🥹
(🎥 @MicahhParsons11) pic.twitter.com/nOzOHQZzg4
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Micah Parsons dad: Terrence Parsons
Micah's father, Terrence, is a U.S. Military officer. He is also a big football fan and introduced his son to the sport at a young age. "He got me into pee-wee football," said Micah. Terrence also supported his son's football efforts by coaching his youth football team when he played for the Harrisburg District School.
Terrence also ran a non-profit organization for underprivileged kids.
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Micah Parsons brother: Terrence Parsons Jr.
Terrence has always been a big supporter of his brother. He is often outspoken in support of Micah and has been known to post on social media when he feels like his brother has been wronged. This has happened when Dallas has been struggling, and also during Parsons contract disputes with the team. It's happened to the point that Micah has had to distance himself from his brother on social media because he didn't want to be associated with the things his brother was saying about the Cowboys.
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Micah Parsons sister: Shatara Parsons
Shatara played basketball in college for California University of Pennsylvania. She played from 2014-2018 and averaged 13.3 points and 6.4 boards per game. Shatara did so well as a senior that she earned a contract to go play in Germany. Not much is known about her professional career after high school, and it is presumed that it was short-lived if she pursued it.
| Season | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG% | FT% |
| 2014-2015 | 22 | 0 | 5.5 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 0.1 | 42.2% | 42.1% |
| 2015-2016 | 30 | 24 | 30.3 | 13.0 | 8.7 | 0.7 | 52.6% | 40.2% |
| 2016-2017 | 30 | 27 | 24.9 | 13.4 | 6.4 | 0.8 | 49.1% | 59.5% |
| 2017-2018 | 31 | 31 | 33.5 | 21.4 | 7.4 | 1.3 | 48.3% | 68.1% |
| Totals | 113 | 82 | 24.9 | 13.3 | 6.4 | 0.8 | 49.4% | 57.4% |
Micah hosts a football camp for kids, and 2025 marked the first time that Shatara hosted a basketball camp alongside him.
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Where is Micah Parsons from?
Parsons was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on May 26, 1999. He went to Central Dauphin High School for his first two years of high school, but then transferred to Harrisburg High School. Parsons stayed in-state and chose to attend Penn State University, despite receiving offers from Nebraska, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, and Oklahoma. During his time with the Nittany Lions, he wore No. 11, which has since become a symbol of the next great linebacker at Penn State.
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