Virginia Tech football: Michael Vick on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for 2024

Michael Vick is the greatest quarterback in Virginia Tech history. Michael Vick is one of the greatest players in Virginia Tech's history and certainly the most influential player in the school's history.

On Monday, Vick took a big first step into landing in the College Football Hall of Fame, joining 77 other players and nine coaches on the 2024 ballot. It’s the first time Vick has landed on the ballot.

What took so long?

Vick’s impact on college football beyond Virginia Tech was far-reaching. Some of the young dual-threat passers we see today once idolized Vick, mostly from his time in the NFL. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft spent 13 seasons in the NFL with four teams, missing two years due to his arrest on dogfighting charges.

Vick’s time in Blacksburg goes far beyond the numbers — which happened to be pretty good. While his time with the Hokies didn’t put him in the record books, he led Tech to its first appearance in the national championship in the 1999 season. Vick and the Hokies actually led Florida State until the Seminoles put the game away in the fourth quarter.

His success with the Hokies brought so much to the school and the community. Virginia Tech’s program was outstanding for another decade after Vick left before eventually declining in Frank Beamer’s later years. For as good as Vick was, it never felt like the Hokies capitalized on his time in Blacksburg and the success of that period.

Vick deserves a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame. It was not only the greatest time in Virginia Tech history, but Vick helped make the Hokies a national brand for some time.

Congratulations, Michael Vick!