Michael Vick is entering his second season at Norfolk State with a much different perspective on HBCU football than the one he carried into his first year as a head coach.
After a 1-11 debut season with the Spartans, Vick said Monday during the MEAC coaches media call that his appreciation for both the conference and the level of football played at historically Black colleges has grown considerably.
“I’m so thankful to be able to represent the HBCU brand, the MEAC brand,” Vick said. “Being here at Norfolk State, it really means a lot.”
Vick said his first season gave him an inside look at a level of football that he believes people on the outside sometimes underestimate.
“When you’re on the outside looking in, sometimes it can be looked at and frowned upon as if it’s just not a high level of intense football,” Vick said. “And I beg to differ.”
Michael Vick sees HBCU football differently
The former NFL star pointed to the quality of coaches, players and administrators throughout the MEAC as reasons for his increased respect for HBCU football.
Vick arrived at Norfolk State in 2025 with no previous college coaching experience. His first season brought plenty of growing pains, both for the program and for Vick himself.
Norfolk State finished 1-11, but Vick said the record also forced him to examine what went wrong.
He said the Spartans went back through situations that hurt them, particularly turnovers, penalties and missed opportunities late in games. The process led Vick to acknowledge his own shortcomings from Year One.
“I feel like I got about 70 percent right last year,” Vick said. “But it’s room for growth. And I’m accepting that.”
That growth has changed how Michael Vick approaches his job.
Vick said he spent much of his first season focused heavily on offense. This time around, he has made a greater effort to understand what Norfolk State is doing on defense and special teams as well.
He also believes he has developed more patience as a teacher.
“I didn’t have the same poise last year that I have now,” Vick said. “I didn’t have the same patience for teaching. I wanted everything to kind of happen right now, but the development process is real.”
Year Two brings a different approach
That development process is now at the center of what Vick is trying to build at Norfolk State.
The Spartans reshaped portions of their coaching staff and roster during the offseason. Vick said the program has spent months experimenting with different concepts while trying to identify what works best for this team.
More importantly, he said Norfolk State has tried to establish a daily standard built around preparation and attention to detail.
“What we’re trying to show on a daily basis is that hard work can be a proven formula to success,” Vick said.
For Michael Vick, Year Two is about more than improving a 1-11 record. It is also the next step in his education as a head coach and his growing connection to HBCU football.
Vick said that appreciation has only increased since taking the Norfolk State job.
“I certainly got a lot of love — even more love — and it’ll continue to grow for HBCUs, our conference and our brand of football,” he said.