Michael Vick Takes Us Inside 'The Coach Vick Experience'

Coach Michael Vick opens up about his first year at Norfolk State, "The Coach Vick Experience" on BET, and his mission to change the culture of HBCU football.

Michael Vick Interview with HBCU Legends | Credit: BET

HOUSTON — Michael Vick sat in his Norfolk State office preparing for a team meeting before spring break, reflecting on the rocky start and resolve required for this new chapter as head football coach of the Spartans.

"It's a grind for sure," Vick said. "Just getting some work done in the office."

Named head coach in December 2024, Vick, once the NFL's most electrifying quarterback, is now rebuilding Norfolk State's football program from the ground up — and doing it on camera. Transitioning from star player to mentor, his daily efforts reveal a new side of football leadership that even he did not fully anticipate.

Michael Vick, head coach of the Norfolk State Spartans | Credit: BET, SMAC Entertainment

Not About Him

When asked about the BET docuseries "The Coach Vick Experience," Vick quickly redirected the credit.​

"It's not being all about me," he said. "It's highlighting our players, it's highlighting our university, it's highlighting the people in our administration and just giving a great look to the HBCU schools and scenes as a whole."​

Five episodes in, Vick said he values the docuseries for its raw honesty, showing real setbacks alongside real progress. He wants it to serve as a resource for aspiring coaches everywhere, an unfiltered look at what the job actually demands.​

"Let them see what they will be getting themselves into, good or bad," Vick said. "I didn't even know what I was getting myself into."​

Aug 28, 2025; Norfolk, VA, USA; Norfolk State Spartans head coach Michael Vick looks on from the sidelines during the first half against the Towson Tigers at William Price Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Standing Alone at the Top

A revealing part of the interview was Vick's account of the challenging decisions he faced in his first year. He drew on lessons from former NFL head coaches Jim Mora, Andy Reid, and Mike Tomlin, men he played under and watched navigate the weight of leadership up close.​

"They make it look easy," Vick said. "They made it look as if it could be done at the drop of a dime. And it's really not that easy to make those tough decisions, especially when you grow to know people."​

Vick explained that the hardest part was moving on from coaches who were not aligned with the program's direction, but whom he genuinely cared about. He said those experiences reinforced one truth above all others.​

"At the end of the day, I stand alone," Vick said. "This has got to be me, and I just got to believe in the decisions that I make and keep moving forward and never look back."​

Michael Vick on Coach Eddie Robinson | Credit: BET

The Most Important Part Is Not X's and O's

When the conversation turned to mentorship, Vick did not hesitate. He ranked it above scheme, strategy, and wins as the defining responsibility of his role.​

"The mentorship aspect of it, man, it's probably the most important part of this," he said.​

Vick said watching himself coach on film has been humbling. He is working to manage his emotions but stands fully behind the passion that drives them.​

"I won't let any player or coach disrespect the game of football," Vick said. "I know what it takes to be successful, the hard work that goes into it. They try to cut corners sometimes, and I just can't let them do it, whether it's on the field or off the field."​

He added with a laugh, "Sometimes that leads me to getting emotional. It leads me to say things I don't want to say, or I say them and forget I have a mic on. And it's just me being me authentically."​

When reminded that even Eddie Robinson was not the finished coach in year one, that he became over 56 years at Grambling State, Vick smiled. He pulled out a biography of Coach Robinson that was on his desk and a nearby photo he keeps close for daily inspiration.​

"Absolutely my idol," Vick said.​

Kijafa Vick | Credit: BET

Kijafa: His Sounding Board Through It All

Vick is not navigating this journey alone at home. His wife Kijafa, who also serves as a co-executive producer on the docuseries, has been his most important sounding board throughout the entire season.​

"She knows every detail of our season," Vick said. "And not just because it's been documented or recorded. It's because she's somebody that I could talk to and I can vent to."​

Michael Vick's wife Kijafa Vick | Credit: BET

He noted that Kijafa's years of watching professional football have given her a genuine understanding of the standard he is working to establish at Norfolk State, making her perspective more valuable than almost anyone else's.​

"She can see the game of football the way I see it sometimes," he said. "And so what we're trying to do is work to get it to a point where it looks the right way."​

Coach Michael Vick - Norfolk State University | Credit: BET

The Four-Phase Plan for 2026

With spring ball now underway, Vick outlined a deliberate, phased approach to preparing the Spartans for a stronger 2026 season. Phase 1, strength and conditioning, was wrapping up at the time of the interview. Phase 2, spring ball, is where coaches and new players begin finding their fit within the program. Phase 3 is summer maintenance and football installation. Phase 4, the fall season, is, as Vick put it plainly, "on."​

The ultimate goal is the MEAC championship, though Vick was careful not to overstate the program's current standing. South Carolina State, the conference's reigning power and HBCU national champion, remains the standard to chase.​

"We have to go through a gauntlet of steps to get to the position where we have to dethrone the champions," Vick said. "We just can't look too far down the road. I will show our team the schedule today so they can see that there's light at the end of the tunnel. So keep working your butts off."​

Coach Vick with assistant coach | Credit: BET

Content Without Wins Does Not Sit Well

One of the most candid moments of the interview came when Vick was asked whether there would be a second season of the docuseries. His answer was layered.​

"I would love to," he said. "But for the record, with all this great content and not winning, it don't sit well with me. That's what I signed up for. I would definitely love to do it again and get some wins under the belt just to see what that emotion feels like and how we teach off that and how we grow off that."​

That moment captured something essential about who Michael Vick is as a coach. The platform, the cameras, and the recognition are secondary. What drives him is the competitive fire to build something real, to inspire lasting growth in his players, and to leave Norfolk State better than he found it.

He closed the conversation the way he had approached the entire journey: with belief.

"Believe in yourself," Vick said. "That's it, man. Believe.

Michael Vick - Press Conference | Credit: BET

The Coach Vick Experience Footnotes

Tune-in
The series new episodes are a airing Wednesdays at 10 PM ET / 9 PM CT on BET.

SERIES Overview

The Coach Vick Experience is an emotional, high-stakes docuseries that follows Michael Vick as he returns home to Virginia for the biggest challenge of his life — stepping in as a first-time head coach tasked with reigniting Norfolk State’s struggling football program. With the community and the season on the line, Coach Vick must learn the job in real time while building a team hungry for greatness. At its core, this is more than football - it’s a raw and inspiring look at what it takes to rebuild a program, a culture, and the belief that anything is possible.

Executive Credits

• Executive Producers: Constance Schwartz-Morini, FredAnthony Smith, Michael Vick, Kijafa Vick, Michael Strahan, and Deion Sanders, with Tiffany Lea Williams and Angela Aguilera serving as executive producers for BET.  Produced by SMAC Entertainment.