Norfolk State officially named Michael Vick its head football coach in December 2024. They counted on the No. 1 overall pick by Atlanta in the 2001 NFL draft to rebuild their program from scratch. Right after stepping up, Vick added eight assistant coaches to bolster his staff. Nine months later, the Norfolk State head coach had hit the ‘refresh’ button, shaking up his coaching roster. What did Vick say about his latest move?

On October 21, James Kattato posted a clip of Vick’s latest presser after the head coach showed multiple defensive coaches the exit door. “Yeah, being the first year head coach having to make, you know, the decision that I made, it wasn’t easy, man,” said Vick. “And nor did I ever think that I would be making a decision like that mid-season.” Who all lost their job in this shake-up and why?

Once an NFL star from Newport News, Vick is now learning things the hard way in college coaching. His Spartans sit at 1-6, nursing a five-game losing streak. However, Vick had to stir his program up as they now gear up to open MEAC play. That called up for some coaching changes. “I hired guys with experience and mental toughness who understand the game of football,” Vick said back in January. 

In that list, there were a couple of coaches. Among them, defensive coordinator Terence Garvin’s and defensive backs coach Jabo Smith’s time has run out. As per the reports, the duo is expected to be out if they are not already. Vick is yet to shortlist the third coach, whom he is going to get rid of. The desperation to revamp the staff is real.

After all, Vick’s program allowed 34.7 points per game and over 425 yards per game in each of its first seven games. When it came to their defense, the wheels fell off as they had a hard time stopping the run and proved completely incapable of stopping the pass. Time of possession tells the story. Vick’s boys struggle to stop the clock, as opponents dominate possession for 32 minutes and convert half their third-down tries.

“Like, you look in the crystal ball and, you know, you see all good things. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. I’m not gonna, you know, act like it was things that happened that I didn’t like. I expect, you know, a certain standard. And so, I’m gonna always live by that,” Vick raised a warning about his high standards. 

So, even though 34-year-old Gavin walked in with six years of experience playing in the NFL, it could not save him from drowning. On the other hand, Smith had previously served as the other co-defensive coordinator at Florida Memorial. Given that Vick is so serious about his job, does that mean he is up for a long ride at Norfolk State?

The options on Michael Vick’s plate 

The Virginia Tech Hokies were the first program to move on from their head coach, firing Brent Pry after a 0-3 start to the season. That’s when Vick’s name popped up. After all, he is the familiar face for the Virginia Tech squad. After redshirting in 1998, he took off as Virginia Tech’s starting quarterback in 1999 and 2000. He led the Hokies to an 11-0 regular season in 1999 and punched a BCS National Championship Game ticket. Vick’s close ones further stirred the pot about his return to his alma mater.

On September 14, CBS Sports editor, Roger Gonzalez, tweeted, “Dipping into CFB regarding  VT gig: Source close to Mike Vick tells me he’d “definitely be interested, but he really wants to get NSU right too.” “He really likes being at NSU, but Tech is a special place to him. “I think he would listen because it’s Tech … he would talk.”” 

To stop the matter from flowing too far, Vick took things into his hands. “This team’s got to follow my lead,” Vick told HBCU Gameday. “My primary focus right now is Norfolk State. That’s all we can focus on.” However, Virginia Tech’s move to bring in its alum might be a gamble. After firing Pry, they need someone strong to hold the reins. In this case, Vick is light on experience. But at least he took a wild risk to stay committed to football. Vick almost ended up choosing baseball over football.

However, his Virginia Tech coach, Frank Beamer, helped him figure things out. As in an interview, Michael Vick recalled, “Coach Beamer talked me out of it. He was like, ‘You know, you’re gonna make so much money in the NFL.’  And I believed him. I trusted him. But I’m like, ‘Coach, that $25,000, we can use that back home right now’.” Vick’s taking small steps to build a football program so strong, he won’t have to look back.