SPORT NEWS: Michael Vick Discusses Deion Sanders Comparison as Norfolk State HC; Prime Praises NFL Legend.giang

Michael Vick says the first person he reached out to after being named head coach at Norfolk State was Deion Sanders.

Vick mentioned Sanders when he was introduced on Monday as the 19th head coach in Norfolk State history.

Vick said that when he asked Sanders about beginning his college coaching career, the Colorado head coach told him he “might as well get into it.”

“I don’t know what you’re waiting for,” Sanders said, according to Vick and 13 News Now’s Connor Rhiel.

Sanders responded by praising Vick on Twitter, saying he has “forever changed” the NFL and college quarterback position and will have “tremendous impact” on college coaching.

Sanders previously coached an HBCU football program at Jackson State before taking the helm at Colorado in 2023.

Vick previously told Fox Sports’ RJ Young about reaching out to Sanders, who won two SWAC titles with Jackson State before joining the Buffaloes.

“I reached out to Deion just to have a conversation with him,” Vick said last week, per Young. “The conversation was more so about philosophy and the most important steps to get started. He reminded me I’d have a bunch of people pulling for me.”

This is not the first time these two former NFL stars have connected. Sanders and Vick previously met in Boulder toward the beginning of Sanders’ first season with the Buffaloes, according to a video from Well Off Media.

The Buffaloes improved from 1-11 in 2022 to 4-8 in Sanders’ first season with Colorado, then took another step with a 9-3 record and a bowl game appearance in 2024.

Sanders took over at Jackson State with an NFL playing career behind him but no previous head coaching experience in either college or the pros. He did, however, bring with him a starting quarterback in his son Shedeur Sanders and a future Heisman Trophy winner in two-way star Travis Hunter.

Vick will look to find success at Norfolk State with a similar résumé, after spending 13 seasons in the NFL and the past seven years as an analyst with FOX Sports, but without the immediate boost of the players coming with him. The Spartans will now hope the draw of being led by the former Virginia Tech star will improve their recruiting heading into 2025.