Michael Vick's first season as a college head coach tested him. Norfolk State finished 1-11, a record that would rattle anyone, and Vick has been candid about how much the year asked of him. What it did not do was shake his belief in the direction of the program.
Heading into 2026, the message from the Spartans' head coach is simple and repeated often: trust one another. Vick has framed year two around the unglamorous work of culture - accountability, discipline, and players who compete for each other rather than for themselves.
Part of what keeps him grounded is where he is doing it. Coaching at Norfolk State has let Vick reconnect with his community and his family, working close to home for an administration he speaks about with real warmth.
He has been blunt that the standard has to rise, and equally clear that he intends to be the one to raise it. The promise he keeps returning to is that he will leave the program better than he found it.