Nine years after taking his final snap as an NFL quarterback, Michael Vick could soon return to the field as a college football head coach.
Monday, multiple reports linked the former No. 1 pick to the coaching openings at Norfolk State and Sacramento State. Vick confirmed the news of interviewing for the Norfolk State job and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sacramento State has a specific plan should the school hire Vick.
Vick, 44, has mostly been involved in sports media since officially retiring from the NFL in 2017. He is one of the most dynamic athletes to ever play the game and possesses an innate level of football knowledge from excelling at the quarterback position.
Could Vick be a college football coach in 2025? The Sporting News dives into recent reporting and Vick’s coaching history.
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Michael Vick college coaching rumors: Latest news on Sacramento State, Norfolk State jobs
The Virginian Pilot first reported that Vick had interviewed for the head coaching vacancy at HBCU Norfolk State in Norfolk, Va.
Vick is a native of Newport News, Va., which is roughly an hour from Norfolk. His football acumen coupled with his status as an icon in the area increase his profile as a candidate for the job, despite a lack of traditional coaching experience.
Later in the day, Schefter reported Sacramento State “is in discussions to hire” Vick as its next head coach. Thanks in part to the backing of Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, Sacramento State’s football team is entering a new era in which it plans to move from FCS to FBS with enough finances to compete at a high level.
Schefter added that Sacramento State would make Vick the face of the program and build an experienced staff around him.
Sac State does not have anything close to $50 million (2.5 X Ohio State’s roster) in NIL money. https://t.co/3XoP1CnrjE
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) December 16, 2024
I believe this is referring to a fundraising group that’s been trying to get Sac State into the Pac-12 that claims it has raised $50 million in “commitments” over 10 years.
If it was $50M in hard cash they could get any coach in America to come to Sacramento.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) December 16, 2024
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The President of Sacramento State confirmed that the school had been in talks with Vick about the opening.
Sacramento State President Luke Wood on his school’s talks about its head coaching job with Michael Vick: “He has expressed interest in the position and yes I did meet with him about his interest in Sac State football and our athletic rise. As you can imagine, given the success… https://t.co/m6H8TpixQk
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 16, 2024
Where is Michael Vick from?
Vick is a native of Newport News, Va., which is roughly an hour from Norfolk. He first attended now-defunct Homer L. Ferguson High School before moving to Warwick High School, where he starred at quarterback for three seasons.
Where did Michael Vick go to college?
Vick played football collegiately at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
After redshirting in 1998, Vick stepped on the field in 1999 and almost immediately took the football world by storm. The Hokies posted an 11-1 record during Vick’s redshirt freshman campaign with the lone loss coming in the National Championship.
Over two seasons on the field, Vick threw 21 touchdown passes, rushed for 17 touchdowns and led his team to a 22-2 record. That resume led to his being selected first overall by Atlanta in the 2001 NFL Draft.
Michael Vick coaching history
Vick’s coaching history is limited and does not consist of much formal coaching. In 2017, Vick studied under his former head coach, Andy Reid, as a Chiefs coaching intern.
There’s a familiar face helping #Chiefs QBs at camp this year.
Michael Vick is one of Andy Reid’s coaching interns.
More on this later. pic.twitter.com/cTlpQBGYvo
— Chiefs Reporter (@ChiefsReporter) July 25, 2017
Vick also worked as a consultant for the Atlanta Legends of the now-defunct Alliance of American Football.
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How Michael Vick compares to Deion Sanders
Like Sanders, Vick was a larger-than-life cultural icon during the peak of his stardom in the NFL. An icon of that stature rarely reinvents themself as a head coach at any level.
Where the comparisons differ is in the department of coaching experience.
Sanders picked up a few years of coaching experience as a head coach and coordinator at the high school level before moving up to coach Jackson State in 2020. Vick’s hiring would not necessarily be unprecedented, but his limited coaching experience does make things slightly different from Sanders’ coaching journey.
As for the programs in question, Sacramento State is coming off a 3-9 season, including a 1-7 mark in conference play. Norfolk State finished 4-8 and was seated in the middle of the MEAC with a 2-3 record in conference games.
Simply put, both programs would welcome the rejuvenation Vick is believed to bring with him.
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