Black coaches are running the race. Well, if you see the recent recruitment in the college football world, it’s pretty clear! NFL icon Michael Vick joined forces with Norfolk State as the program head coach in an eye-popping move. It might be surprising, but not foreign. For a long time, a majority of black athletes chose Power Five schools, but things are slowly changing, with more and more talents recognizing the value of HBCUs. Thanks to the strategic inclusion of the NIL market. But it’s not only the NIL. The black campuses partly owe their increased demand and likeability among the recruits to Deion Sanders.

Sanders’ historic stint at Jackson State inspired other black former athletes, like Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson, to go for HBCUs without a doubt. But the question is, can Coach Vick do justice, taking the upward trend forward?

Michael Vick’s potential to ace the new job put under doubts

Vick was born and brought up in the neighborhood of Newport News, Virginia. It’s a shipping town just a 40-minute away from Norfolk State. The black community representative has a lot on his plate to give back to society. The former Virginia Tech athlete will add NFL wisdom to a pumped-up roster, and it is likely to be a game-changer in the growth of the Spartans. But wait, there is always a flip side to the story.

In case Vick fails to turn the tides in his first CFB stint with Norfolk State, it might backfire on the growing trend of athletes choosing the HBCU over the mainstream and Deion Sanders’ priceless effort behind it. Explaining the counter effect, Cam Newton noted, ”There’s not a lot of minority coaches Collegiate, NFL, and respectfully in high school that gets opportunities. And you have to do right by your situation. I see a guy like Michael Vick who is going into a situation that a lot of people are taking a risk on. Everybody’s not on board with that type of signing for obvious reasons; I am. But Michael Vick f__k that opportunity up; he’s going to f__k it up for the other minorities.”

They say great opportunity comes with greater responsibility. The quote currently describes the ideal role of the Virginia native. He should nail his card right no matter what because if he doesn’t, it will cast a shadow on the entire community.

He is the latest torchbearer of the minority group, after all. Coming to the Deion Sanders effect, Cam said Coach Prime has already set a pristine standard that is hard to match up. ”When you see a guy like Prime, coach Prime, Deion Sanders, a person who’s did pretty good with his fortune as a coach, he’s done right by organizations programs, whether you, it’s subjective of how he handled the Jackson State I would say [ __ ] you, tell me, you tell me another coach who’s done more with an HBCU program than Deion Sanders,” said the veteran analyst.

Sanders personally reached out to Vick and cheered him up to take up the unconventional job and join the coveted NFL athletes turned coaches club. The path can be challenging for Vick, but he is not a rookie after all.

Can Michael Vick give his best shot at Norfolk State? 

Michael Vick can’t be ideally called a veteran in the coaching realm, but this isn’t his first job either. After the athlete hung up his boots in the NFL in 2015, he joined Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs staff as a coaching intern during their 2017 training camp and gathered a lot of eye-popping lessons.

The phenom then shifted his focus to broadcasting. After one year of a stunning stint as a Fox NFL analyst, he joined the Atlanta Legends as an offensive coordinator in 2019. Vick couldn’t wait to explore his OC role. However, he was quickly downgraded prior to the start of the season and carried on in a consultant role.

His love for coaching, however, didn’t fade out, and finally, it is manifesting. Congratulating him on the call of fortune and hard work, Travis Hunter said, ”He’s home helping out young kids, he’s definitely making a great impact on his community. That’s great. Can’t even say anything about that. All you could do was cheer for him. Back in his community, giving back.”

With a full-fledged coaching crew, including Elton Brown, LaRoy Reynolds, and Terence Garvin, each belonging to the National Football League, Coach Vick can hopefully shine bright like his predecessor, Deion Sanders, putting all the doubts aside.