Michael Vick intended to follow Deion Sanders’ blueprint while coaching Jackson State. Instead, he managed to win a single game last year at Norfolk State, as the team was hammered 15-44 against Howard, finishing up the season. Vick didn’t get back to the drawing board or rally his troops. Instead, he drove back to the very place, his hometown, that taught him to be resilient under pressure.

“After that last loss, I just needed to go back to Newport News,” Vick said in a video he posted yesterday on Instagram. ” I needed to go back to my sanctuary, where all my dreams were made. I wanted to go and think about my mom, think about why I even came back to Virginia.”

The former Eagles’ QB is seen driving through his hometown in Virginia in the video and is reminiscing about the places where he grew up. He points to a newly built apartment and says, “Our project was right behind these.” Then he drives on the side of a field and showcases the very place where he first learned his ball-craft. The place seemed to have changed a lot since Vick roamed around those blocks in Newport News, but the change is only positive.

“Talking about like the origin of everything I’ve been through, man. Like, actually happened down here,” Vick tells with a hint of nostalgia on his face. “Community leaders have done a great job of eradicating things that young men like myself and other people used to get into meals. Dealing with the dogs. That’s what led to a lot of bad things.”

Vick’s life has been a roller coaster ride, but at the end of it, he has navigated it all. Back in 2007, when he was convicted and lost his place in the Falcons squad, he didn’t back down. Instead, Vick was training like a Navy SEAL, making do with whatever he could and preparing for his NFL comeback. With patience, the chance came with the Eagles, and Vick ran riot on NFL defenses. Everything else that came with it is, of course, history.

All that remained was the coaching frontier to conquer. He didn’t do it quickly and even rejected many jobs. However, that was until Norfolk State came with their offer. The Spartans were an FCS team, where the pressure would be less, and Vick could experiment freely. Most importantly, Norfolk was just 33 miles from Newport News, enabling Vick to remain closer to his family.

“I’ve been able to be with my mom every day, being able to see her and my sisters and my cousins – seeing everybody growing up,” Vick told ESPN in May last year. “I’ve been away for so long, ever since I went away for college, I haven’t been here consistently. Now I have a chance to be around my loved ones, so that means more to me than anything.”

Vick is now closer to his home, and that 1-11 record in 2025 isn’t defining his coaching stint. He accepts that the first years are always difficult and draws lessons from the NFL, where he “had a lot to prove” yet became a legend. Most importantly, he is leaning more on veteran advice, especially from Deion Sanders. He took advice from Coach Prime before joining and is turning to him now that things have gone south.

Michael Vick publicly asks Deion Sanders for advice

Deion Sanders came to Jackson State and became a sensation. He brought in a 5-star player, Travis Hunter, to the program, which had never been seen in FCS history. Most of all, he churned out results and put Jackson State on the map. Naturally, Vick turned to Sanders for advice before accepting the Norfolk State job. But Sanders offered no respite. He was blunt, straight, and chalked out the difficulties Vick could face.

Vick might not have paid heed to that raw, no-filter advice when he joined. But now that the former Falcons legend is at a crossroads and wants to churn out results, he is turning to Coach Prime again.

“I really needed to talk to you. My day-to-day has been exhausting. I got kids with attitude issues,” Vick asked Deion Sanders publicly on X last month. “I catch myself at times wondering if Coach went through this. Just trying to follow in your footsteps, man. You know what you mean to me, and I’ll be thinking about you when I take that field.” This time again, Sanders was blunt and didn’t mince his words, but advised staying resilient.

“I told you I went through all of that,” Sanders said. “I told you what you was getting ready to run into. What you’ve gone through in your life, please. Come on, man. I’m praying for you, I’m praying with you. This is gonna be the first of many.”

Deion Sanders has been a constant mentor for Vick throughout his coaching transition from the NFL. The now-Colorado head coach knows the ins and outs and boasts a whopping $10 million-per-year salary, owing to his heroics. It didn’t happen overnight, and there was no magical charm. All it took was patience and an out-of-the-box strategy to get to it. Surely, a four-time NFL Pro Bowler in Michael Vick can do just that with Coach Prime’s guidance.