Norfolk State coach Michael Vick completed his first season in charge of the Spartans in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Vick’s first season in charge of the Spartans did not go as planned, as they finished with a 0-5 MEAC and 1-11 overall record, a regression from the previous season’s 4-8 finish.
Vick’s tough first season as a college football coach was documented in the BET series, “The Coach Vick Experience.”
Michael Vick Addresses Tough Coaching Choices
In a clip posted on X on Wednesday, after several locker room incidents, Vick revealed his tough stance on Spartans players performing at their best and being committed to the program.
“As a quarterback, you can’t make excuses. Nobody wants to hear them,” Vick said. “I only want to coach the guys that wanna be here, I only wanna coach the guys that want to be coached. I think commitment is everything.
“I had to sit one of our best running backs, had to sit him down. Mentally, his mind is just all over the place. I don’t know what the hell he be thinking sometimes. I’m gonna put some guys out there who act like they wanna be here. I’mma put the ones out there who do the right thing.”
“The Coach Vick Experience” first aired on Feb. 4 and details the inner workings of the Spartans and the coach’s family life, including Vick seeking advice from Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, who also started his career in the FCS with the Jackson State Tigers.
Vick Details Tough Coaching Learning Curve
In an episode of his BET series, Vick detailed the tough learning curve he had to navigate to fit into his new head-coaching job last season, including getting guidance from some of his mentors.
“I’m enjoying the process of learning, not knowing exactly what it takes,” Vick said. “You don’t have coaches that assist other coaches. You just have friends and mentors and guys who’ve been down the same road. I want to be a sponge and soak it all in.
“Like Deion said, you still got to do it your way, but that don’t mean you can’t take advice from others. I’m just trying to transition to a coach who can help you, but also at the same time, can lift you as my coaches did. That’s when they got the most out of me.”
Vick’s Norfolk State will start a pivotal 2026 season with a game against former Spartans assistant Tory Woodbury’s Winston-Salem State Rams on Aug. 29.
