With Norfolk State's Spring Scrimmage only a couple of weeks away, Michael Vick is hard at work preparing his Spartans for the Fall as he looks to bring a winning culture to the football program. On National Signing Day in February, Vick announced his first Norfolk State recruiting class featuring several talented high-school recruits and transfer players with FBS experience.

The former Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles star joined Norfolk State as a high-profile hire, bringing a football pedigree comparable to Deion Sanders. It was no surprise that he could draw in talented recruits, as highlighted in a Virginian-Pilot feature by Trevyn Gray on Vick's success in securing top talent. Gray spoke to a few of Vick's notable transfer players about being recruited by the NFL star-turned-HBCU coach.

“You feel like you’re getting pranked (being recruited by Vick). I didn’t tell anybody, but I started running around the house,” former University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff linebacker Jaden Kelly said of getting a call from Michael Vick.

Many recruits will look to learn from Vick, a player who revolutionized the game of football with is speed and athleticism.

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“I was more so focused on the football aspect of it and the opportunity to learn from somebody who knows so much about football,” former Ball State linebacker Kahlib Gilmore said. “I really was buying in and believing in everything that he was telling me as far as what he wanted.”

Securing of high-profile recruits and transfers will be central to Vick's mission of building an HBCU and FCS contender quickly. It's the same strategy that Deion Sanders used in his two seasons at Jackson State as well as Eddie George during his time at Tennessee State.

Norfolk State has the players on the roster from the Dawson Odoms years to compete with the best teams in the MEAC. The transfer portal players, as well as the highly-touted high school recruits, will serve to raise their floor and give Vick a chance at swiftly building a Celebration Bowl contender at Norfolk State.