Michael Vick rehabbed his football career as a member of the Eagles from 2009 to ‘13, winning the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award in ‘10 after his 21-month sentence for his involvement in a dog fighting ring. Philadelphia great DeSean Jackson was among Vick’s favorite targets during his run with the Eagles. More than a decade later, the pair are following in the footsteps of Deion Sanders, entering the world of coaching by immediately taking over college head coaching jobs at FCS-level HBCU programs: Vick at Norfolk State and Jackson at Delaware State.
The two friends and former teammates are now rivals in the MEAC, and played their first game on Thursday night—the showdown was appropriately moved to the Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field where 47,266 fans were in attendance. They were greeted by an exciting 27–20 win for the Hornets. Jackson was known for his big play ability and it was DSU that made the biggest plays in Thursday’s win, including a blocked punt recovered for a touchdown by Amir Anderson, a 76-yard touchdown run for James Jones and a 24-yard touchdown pass from Kaiden Bennett to Tahmir Ellis, which capped a 17-play, 97-yard touchdown drive.
The former teammates-turned-coaching rivals shared a warm embrace after the game.
“I would have never envisioned this,” Jackson said after the game, per . “I could have never imagined it. I could have never predicted it. It just shows you how well God works.”
Sanders, who took over the program at Jackson State before parlaying his success into the job at Colorado, was outspoken in his support of both Vick and Jackson landing their respective jobs last winter. He took to X after the game Thursday to share the emotions that seeing the two former NFL stars coaching gave him.
How Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson landed the Norfolk State and Delaware State jobs
Vick landed the job at Norfolk State on Dec. 17 last year, taking over the program at a school just 30 miles from his hometown of Newport News, Va. The Spartans went 15–31 over four years under coach Dawson Odoms. The program hopes that Vick can build strong recruiting in-roads in his home state thanks to his impressive local starpower.
"Today marks a historic day for Norfolk State University," athletic director Dr. Melody Webb said in a release announcing the hire. "I am thrilled to welcome Michael Vick and his family back to the Hampton Roads area to lead our football program. One of the greatest athletes the region has ever seen, Coach Vick's leadership, knowledge, and dedication will pour into the fundamental layers of the foundation we hope to build for Norfolk State football."
Less than two weeks later, Jackson landed a similar opportunity at Delaware State. While Jackson is a Los Angeles native and played at Cal, his best years came in Philadelphia and he also spent time in the greater northeast playing for both Washington and Baltimore. The program, based in Dover, sits in the mid-Atlantic region where Jackson became a household name.
In his introductory press conference, Jackson stressed his ability to connect to modern college players.
“The biggest thing about having a role model in a coach is you have to understand the players,” Jackson said. “We are going to get nitty and gritty, we are going to work hard, but I am going to be able to relate and understand my players. How can you expect a young man to trust and believe in you if you don’t know what they have been through and where they want to go? My vision is to help these young men make it to their dream.”
Jackson inherited perhaps an even bigger rebuild than Vick. His predecessore Lee Hull was 2–21 over two seasons. The Hornets haven’t posted a winning season since Kermit Blount went 6–5 in 2012.
How have Michael Vick and Desean Jackson fared in their debut seasons?
Vick is still finding his way at Norfolk State, while Jackson may wind up contending for coach of the year honors for his work at Delaware State.
The Spartans fell to 1–8 with Thursday’s loss, though the team has been competitive through much of its schedule, dropping games to Sacred Heart, Wagner, Hampton and DSU by single scores. ESPN analyst Bill Connelly’s SP+ efficiency metric has Norfolk State ranked at the bottom of the MEAC. The team still has games against North Carolina Central, Morgan State and Howard to end the season.
The Hornets, meanwhile, are having their best season in more than a decade. Thursday’s win pushed their record to 6–3 and 2–0 in MEAC play, and the team is on a three-game winning streak. Delaware State was fairly competitive to open the season against Delaware, which has been one of the better teams in Conference USA in its first year as an FBS program, and dropped games to Sacred Heart by four and Monmouth—one of the best teams in the CAA—by 11. The Hornets currently sit atop the MEAC and are in good shape to make their first-ever trip to the Celebration Bowl at season’s end, the de facto HBCU national championship that pits the top programs from the MEAC and SWAC against one another played annually at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“We still haven’t done anything,” Jackson said after the game, per . “We got three more conference games, and our goal is to go undefeated and hopefully we can make it to our destination in Atlanta.”
