Sacramento State is reportedly talking with former NFL star quarterback Michael Vick to be its next head football coach.
The Hornets, who are building a new football stadium and are planning to move up to FBS, are in discussions to lure Vick to their program, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Meanwhile, the 44-year-old Vick is also in talks with Norfolk State, which also has a head coach opening. Should Vick land either job it would be his first experience coaching in college football.
Schefter also reported Sacramento State has more than $50 million in NIL funds, which puts the school in good financial shape to build up its football program.
The Hornets have been searching for a head coach since former head coach Andy Thompson left two weeks ago to join Stanford’s staff as an associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator for head coach Troy Taylor, whom Thompson replaced two years ago. Sacramento State had an 11-14 record during Thompson’s two years in Sacramento.
The Virginian-Pilot reported Monday that Vick, who served 18 months in prison for dog fighting while in the prime of his career, told the newspaper he has spoken with university president Javaune Adams-Gaston and athletic director Melody Webb about the position and expects resolution “soon.”
Norfolk State fired coach Dawson Odums in November after a 4-8 season. In Vick, the Spartans would be getting a coach without experience, but one who redefined the quarterback position at Virginia Tech and with the Atlanta Falcons, combining a powerful throwing arm with deft feet and speed.
“I know how to lead and I know what it takes,” Vick told the newspaper.
Vick carried the Hokies to the 1999 national title game, where they lost to Florida State 46-29. The Falcons made him the first Black quarterback to be chosen with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft.
He said the HBCU school reached out to him about the position.
Vick was released from federal prison in 2009 after pleading guilty and serving his sentence for his role in a dog-fighting ring. The case upended his stardom on the field at a time when he was the posterchild for modern football.
Vick made a comeback after he was released by the Philadelphia Eagles, but his prime years were behind him. He officially retired from the league in 2017, and has made advocating against animal cruelty a part of his mission.
He’s been an NFL analyst for Fox Sports since his retirement.
Vick’s hometown of Newport News, Virginia, is not far from Norfolk State’s campus.
Wire services contributed to this report.
