NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
Michael Vick became the latest NFL legend to dip his toe into college football coaching when Norfolk State hired him to lead its program, according to a report from the Virginian-Pilot.
And for most of us who are not particularly invested in Norfolk State football, that means just one thing: Better watch your back, Brent Pry!
Who’s Brent Pry? He’s the largely unremarkable coach at Virginia Tech who has gone 3-8, 7-6 and 6-6 in three seasons and would probably not be recognized at any grocery store or airplane terminal in America beyond a 30-mile radius from Blacksburg.
That’s not intended to be a knock on Pry, who made his name as James Franklin’s defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt and Penn State and parlayed that into a contract making $4.75 million a year. Nice work if you can get it.
But let’s be real for a second. Vick is a star. A cultural icon, even, despite misdeeds in his past that he’s worked hard to atone for. And he’s especially a star at Virginia Tech, the school he put on the map by taking the Hokies to the brink of a national title in 1999.
Do we really need to put two and two together here?
If Vick shows even a hint of competence as a head coach this coming year, and Virginia Tech continues on its current mediocre path, athletics director Whit Babcock (or whoever replaces him) will have no choice. Vick is coming for this job, and good luck being the guy who tells the Hokies’ fan base the most important player in school history needs to pay his dues for a few more years.
That’s not how this stuff works anymore (see Sanders, Deion), and that’s probably a good thing.
Virginia quarterback Michael Vick celebrates a play against Clemson during the 2001 Gator Bowl.
Coaching competence, development and experience matter in college football, but this is now a game of paid-for player acquisition and…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michael-vick-entering-college-football-011856547.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-12-18 01:18:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
