Subscribe
Follow Us
NFL legend and four-time Pro Bowl champion Michael Vick will be making his debut in college football coaching when he takes on the head coach mantle at Norfolk State. He will be replacing Dawson Odums, who was fired in November 2024.
Vick spent 21 months in prison back in 2007 after pleading guilty over involvement in a dog-fighting ring, and is returning to the football after retiring back in 2015. Set to take charge of his first game on August 28 against Townson, Vick posted a picture of himself in his uniform on X.
Year 1 pic.twitter.com/fOvD4zlok9
— Michael Vick (@MichaelVick) July 26, 2025
As a result, fans erupted with excitement as the caption marked “Year 1” of his journey in college football. The post immediately sparked fan reactions, with comments like “Best of luck Coach,” “Welcome to the 757!,” “Coach 7!!!,” and “Greatest QB of all time” flooding X.
Vick’s presence already seems to be energizing a Norfolk State program that’s struggled since its move to the MEAC in 1997. Though his coaching résumé is thin, Vick’s star power and NFL pedigree promise a fresh start for the Spartans, who have just one vacated MEAC title and FCS playoff appearance in their history.
His arrival mirrors the trend of NFL greats entering the HBCU coaching scene, following the likes of Deion Sanders and Eddie George.As a high school star, Vick rejected Norfolk for the university for Virginia Tech, where he became a college football sensation.
Now, returning to uplift his hometown program, Vick sees this as a full-circle moment. During MEAC Football Media Day, he said what excites him most is building bonds with his players and fostering a family environment.
“It’s about building trust and getting these young men ready to compete—not just in football, but in life,” he had said. Vick revealed that he is focussed on building a culture at the program and will be taking things “one day at a time, one snap at a time,” per HBCU Sports.
