Audio By Carbonatix
Michael Vick has been a head coach in college football for less than 10 months but his name is already attached to the open job at Virginia Tech. He hopes his players at Norfolk State won’t listen.
The 45-year-old did not even flinch when presented with the idea.
I find it hard to believe one of the biggest brands in college football would hire a former legend with this little experience but stranger things have happened. It would be a huge bummer for the Spartans.
Virginia Tech needs a new college football coach.
Justin Fuente won ten games in his first year at Virginia Tech in 2016. That was the pinnacle of the Hokies’ success since its run of eight-straight 10-win seasons under Frank Beamer from 2004-2011.
They have been on a pretty consistent downward slope to mediocrity— or worse.
Fuente was fired in 2021. Brent Pry was hired as his replacement.
Virginia Tech went 3-8 during his first season at the helm which we now know was a bad omen. The Hokies went 7-6 in 2023, 6-7 in 2024 and began this current season at 0-3.
They cut Pry loose on Monday. Philip Montgomery will serve as the interim head coach.
Although the university will likely wait until after the season to begin its official coaching search, the wheels have already started to turn. Some of the names attached to the open job include: Ryan Silverfield, Alex Golesh, Charles Huff, Bob Chesney, Shane Beamer and… Michael Vick.
Michael Vick is worried about going 1-0.
According to Pete Nakos of On3, it was actually a group of Virginia Tech boosters who pushed Vick to get coaching experience. The ouster of Brent Pry seemed inevitable even before the season began so perhaps they knew what was coming when they encouraged the Hokies legend to give it a shot.
Vick played in Blacksburg from 1998-2000. He led the Hokies to an 11-0 regular season and a spot in the BCS National Championship as a redshirt freshman, was named as the Big East Offensive Player of the Year and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting behind Ron Dayne and Joe Hamilton.
That only begins to scratch the surface of his accomplishments at Virginia Tech. The program and the brand would not be what it is today without him. Would it make sense to bring him back as head coach?
Michael Vick told HBCU Gameday that he is not going to concern himself with hypotheticals. He hopes his current team will do the same.
“This team’s got to follow my lead,” Vick said. “My primary focus right now is Norfolk State. That’s all we can focus on. I hope they’re not reading the newspaper clippings or looking into what’s happening on the social pages, because I don’t do it. We’ve got Sacred Heart this week. That’s the most important thing in our lives right now.”
We’ve heard this kind of thing before. I would be lying if the words “right now” didn’t immediately trigger my brain. That leaves the door open.
I would be surprised if the Hokies choose to go in this direction but Michael Vick didn’t say no.