“A lot of people ask ‘Are you gonna be the next Deion Sanders?’ And I’m quick to tell them: ‘No, there is only one Deion Sanders.'” That’s what Michael Vick said when he took the head coaching job at Norfolk State. But let’s be real: Deion Sanders is a straight-up trailblazer across a multitude of paths, no doubt. He played both sides of the football. And this set the precedent for his protege Travis Hunter to follow. Another trail he proverbially blazed was iconic footballers foraying into the coaching realm. In particular, via HBCUs. Following his stint at Jackson State, a plethora of ex-NFL pros followed suit. In a development that seemingly transpired out of the blue, Michael Vick became the latest adopter of this trend.This move has been met with equal amounts of surprise and curiosity. Naturally, people are unable to quite grasp why Vick would want to take this exact route for his foray into coaching. It is worth noting that Michael Vick has not been in a head coaching capacity at any level. He has merely taken some intern and coordinating roles across different levels of the game. Plus, by all accounts, he has been great as an analyst for FOX. Vick himself concurs that he “loves talking about the game.” So, why leave, and for Norfolk State of all places? It turns out Vick has unfinished business at the collegiate level.Despite the gruesome misdemeanors of his previous life, Michael Vick is a football A-lister. He can get into most doors if he’s able to marry his reverence as a player with acumen as a coach. The job at Norfolk State is in many ways a “prove it” situation before relatively more prominent programs take a chance at the inexperienced Vick. He’s explicitly acknowledged he wants to coach in the FBS down the line. The school is aware of its place in the CFB food chain. They understand Michael Vick is like a leased sports car for them right now. Their relationship is still very reciprocal. Vick gets to hone his coaching skills without much pressure or expectation. Meanwhile, Norfolk State has more eyeballs on them than ever before. With that known, Michael Vick has one reason why he’s back into football—experience winning a Championship. Something he failed to do during his illustrious career. Vick guested on fellow enigma Johnny Manziel’s “Glory Daze” podcast to discuss his entry into coaching, a realm occupied by 134 FBS colleges. “I always told myself I want to compete one more time in my life for a Championship,” said Vick. “This time, it’s just not me with the ba-l in my hands.” He proceeded to speak about realizing his calling was on the sidelines rather than in the studio. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Glory Daze Podcast (@glorydazepod)Michael Vick told Manziel “[Earlier] I’d do football camps and spend a day with a kid. I’d be sad when I’ve got to leave him. Now, I get to spend every day [and] get to try to make him great…you can’t get that on the desk…The more I did it, the more I wanted to be closer to some type of organized team activity.” Vick saw the highest highs and lowest lows during his career across both rungs of the football ladder. He got individual hardware in CFB as well as All-Pro recognition in the NFL. But that championship remained elusive. He’ll seek to right that wrong. Speaking of hardware, this segues into Vick opening up about his infamous Heisman snub back at Virginia Tech.Michael Vick opens up to Johnny Manziel about losing the 1999 Heisman Trophy raceThe term gets thrown around loosely, but Michael Vick was a pioneer. A trailblazer himself, akin to how Deion Sanders paved his way in the coaching realm. The running archetype of quarterback that thrives today in the form of Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels wouldn’t quite have existed in the NFL so prevalently without Vick. A microcosm of his CFB career is that he went first overall in the Draft after just 2 years as a starter. The first of which, he finished 3rd in the Heisman Trophy race. Behind RB Ron Dayne and QB Joe Hamilton, respectively. Confronted on this by subsequent winner Johnny Manziel, Vick was clear in his assessment. He should’ve won, but understands why he didn’t.NFL, American Football Herren, USA Pro Bowl-AFC at NFC Feb 5, 2023 Paradise, Nevada, USA Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick attends the Pro Bowl Games at Allegiant Stadium. Paradise Allegiant Stadium Nevada United States, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKirbyxLeex 20230205_cec_al2_261“Based on the way I played, I should have won. I just know I was an underclassman. I was a freshman,” said Michael Vick. “Ron Dayne had paid his dues. He was like, destined for it. Those guys probably deserved it more than me being a freshman, just breaking through. Because they’d been consistent.” It’s not everyday an athlete is so poised when asked about a regretful memory. It goes to show Vick is cut out for coaching. In 1999, Ron Dayne of the Wisconsin Badgers rushed for over 2000 yards, earning unanimous All-American honors and AP College Football Player of the Year. He walked away with 586 first-place Heisman votes. Now, Vick’s ’99 season? 1,840 passing yards, 580 rushing, 12 touchdowns, and 5 picks. Though Heisman is not just about stats, you can see the difference here. But Manziel did give him his flowers, acknowledging how Vick’s perceived snub allowed for a freshman such as him to win the trophy down the line.It’ll be fascinating to see how this next chapter of Michael Vick’s very colorful life plays out. He’s come a long way from the controversy that blemished both his image and career. It remains to be seen what comes of his stint at Norfolk, but it’s the first step in a long path if he wishes to win championships. First, he’ll have to earn his stripes.The post Michael Vick Sends Chilling Message to 134 FBS Colleges After Making Sad Admission on His Heisman Snub appeared first on EssentiallySports.