Deion Sanders is a trailblazer across a multitude of paths. He played both sides of the ball as a player. This set the precedent for his protege, Travis Hunter, to follow. Another trail he proverbially blazed was iconic footballers foraying into the coaching realm. In particular, via HBCUs. Following his stint at Jackson State, a plethora of ex-NFL pros followed suit. In a development that seemingly transpired out of the blue, Michael Vick became the latest adopter of this trend when he was hired as the new head coach of Norfolk State.

This move has been met with equal amounts of surprise and curiosity. Naturally, people aren’t quite able to grasp why football royalty Vick, who just got inducted into the College Football HOF, would want to take this route for his first foray into coaching. It is worth noting that Michael Vick has not been in a head coaching capacity at any level. He’s merely taken some intern and coordinating roles across different steps of the game. Plus, by all accords, he’s been great as an analyst for FOX. Vick himself concurs that he “loves” the role. “I love what I do as an analyst. I love being in that position. Love being in that seat. I cherish that position.” So why uproot yourself and for Norfolk State of all places?

Micheal Vick discussed all of these facets and more as a guest on the “I AM ATHLETE” YouTube channel. In the midst of the interview, he was asked, “Being from Virginia, is it that much more special?” Now, this may have been a eureka moment for some that pieced the puzzle and common knowledge for others. But what links Norfolk State and Virginia-native Michael Vick is proximity. He delved into this being the primary reason why he even took this job. Vick even spoke about a bit of an epiphany he had when the opportunity came by.

“That was the key factor,” remarked Vick. “I honestly can say- If this was somewhere else…If it was another state? If it wasn’t Virginia, it wasn’t home? I probably wouldn’t have took the job.” Michael Vick then proceeded to say “It was hard to walk away from [the analyst capacity] you know. But when God puts things in front of you, it’s a sign…So I’m thankful that it was in my hometown. They gave me an opportunity to get my foot into the door, start coaching and try to build another career. Let my kids see me work as hard and be as competitive as I’ve been, you know, on and off the field.” As heartfelt as this is, it comes across a little passively. There’s a reason for that.

Part of Micheal Vick’s discernment sounds as if he’s already speaking in the past tense. As if his stint at Norfolk State has already ceased when it’s yet to begin. Has he already got half a mind on the next step of this journey as a coach? A short stay with an HBCU before spreading out your wings, akin to the aforementioned Deion Sanders? He explicitly spoke about his intentions.

Michael Vick opts into honesty over diplomacy about his future beyond Norfolk State

Despite the gruesome misdemeanors of his previous life, Michael Vick is a football A-lister. He can get into most doors if he’s able to marry his reverence as a player with acumen as a coach. The job at Norfolk State is in many ways a “prove it” situation before relatively more prominent programs take a chance at the inexperienced Vick. He was asked a multitude of questions but along the same line of thought: “Do you see yourself going to a Power 5 [school] when that opportunity comes? Do you see yourself going to the NFL? What is Michael Vick’s trajectory? 

To this, Vick didn’t hesitate in saying “I see myself potentially going to a Power 5 one day. You know, that’s the goal. Anything I get myself involved in, I’m always going to look into the future, where I can take it, or where I can go.” The honesty is commendable, and, to be honest, it shouldn’t deter his employers from Norfolk State.

The school is aware of its hierarchy in the CFB food chain. They understand Michael Vick is like a leased sports car for them right now. Their relationship is still very reciprocal. Vick gets to hone his coaching skills without much pressure or expectation. Meanwhile, Norfolk State has more eyeballs on them than ever before. It’ll be fascinating to see how this chapter of Michael Vick’s very up-and-down life plays out.