Reports that ex-NFL QB Vick is the next Sacramento State coach are premature, school says
National reports that former NFL Pro Bowl quarterback Mike Vick was closing in on becoming the next football coach at Sacramento State are premature at best, the Hornets confirmed Monday afternoon.
Two Sacramento State officials told The Sacramento Bee that reports of Vick being selected to head the Hornets’ football program are not true as the school seeks to find a replacement for Andy Thompson, who left the Hornets after two seasons as head coach to rejoin Troy Taylor, this time as assistant head coach at Stanford.
Taylor hired Thompson before the 2019 season at Sacramento State as defensive coordinator, and the two enjoyed winning three Big Sky Conference championships. Sacramento State won three games this season amid a crush of injuries and tight, close losses, a year after making the FCS playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter on social media Monday said that “Sacramento State is in discussions to hire” Vick, “per sources.”
A Sacramento State administrator told The Bee on Monday afternoon that the school has had discussions with Vick and others interested in the job, including those with NFL ties, past or present. The Hornets coaching post closes Wednesday, but no one has been selected.
Sacramento State president Luke Wood posted on X/Twitter on Monday late afternoon addressed to Bee reporter Joe Davidson and ESPN’s Schefter that “Vick and I did meet about Sac State football and our athletic rise. As you can imagine, given the success of our athletic programs that our football head coach job is an attractive role. Announcements on several major decisions coming soon.”
Sacramento State late Monday afternoon issued a statement that read: “We have seen significant interest in the head coaching position. The search process is ongoing, and no decisions have been made. We continue to have discussions with coaches across the country and a pool of qualified applicants are under consideration.”
It also was reported that Vick was in talks for the head coaching post at Norfolk State in Virginia, where Vick is from. What adds to the curiosity is that Vick has not been an official coach anywhere since retiring after the 2015 NFL season.
Speaking from his Florida home, Vick told the Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press that he had spoken with Norfolk State officials and that he expected resolution “soon.” He did not respond to the newspapers about the Sacramento State rumors.
The No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons in 2001 after a memorable career at Virginia Tech, Vick pleaded guilty in 2007 for running a dog-fighting operation and served 21 months in federal prison before playing in the NFL for another six seasons. He is the league’s all-time leader in quarterback rushing yards. Vick has been an NFL analyst with Fox Sports since 2017.
Sacramento State athletic director Mark Orr told The Bee late last week that the coaching opening has generated “a crazy amount of national interest.” He added: “There’s been significant interest, more than ever before for football. There’s interest from people who have coached in the NFL, college, Power 4 programs in the FCS and from the FCS, head coaches, assistant coaches, coordinators.”
Orr added that Sacramento State needs to hire a coach before Christmas: “Our student-athletes need to know, our community needs to know,” Orr said. “The transfer portal is open. Our signed recruits need to know. Our program is seen as a good one, and it’s in a good light.”
A booster club of “business, labor and civic leaders” called SAC-12 is working to raise more than $50 million for the first 10 years in the Pac-12, to secure the funding and approval for a new football stadium, to get a new basketball arena and to secure $5.25 million in conference realignment fees.
This story was originally published December 16, 2024 at 2:03 PM.