Inside ‘The Coach Vick Experience’: How BET Turned a Bold Gamble into a Cultural Phenomenon

Who ever thought a “money game” loss could be spun into something that actually felt… well, good? BET and its slick new series, The Coach Vick Experience, somehow pulled off that magic trick in episode three — a welcome relief after a somewhat breathless episode two. We dive into Norfolk State’s clashes against Rutgers and Wagner College with a rhythm that’s part insider’s playbook, part primer on the grit and grind of college football outside the FBS spotlight. But here’s the kicker: how do you craft a gripping story around a season that’s less about victories and more about bruises—both on the scoreboard and within the team’s soul? It’s easy to glorify an NFL legend stepping into a coaching role with a winning streak, but revealing the messy human stuff—that’s the real test for BET and SMAC Entertainment. From the spotlight on Ke’von King’s Sunday-worthy talent, to Michael Vick’s sometimes blunt mentorship, and the fascinating student voices adding color behind the scenes, this episode offers more than just highlights—it offers a soul-searching journey into what it truly means to develop young athletes on and off the field. Ready to see a “money game” loss through a new lens? LEARN MORE

I didn’t know that there would be a way to make a “money game” loss look good, but BET mastered it with this latest episode of The Coach Vick Experience.

Episode two of the new series from last week felt very rushed, as it clearly tried to pack a lot of content into a short time. But episode three, covering Norfolk State’s week three matchup against Rutgers and week four matchup against Wagner College, had a very interesting flow that balanced showcasing the inside of the program and also informing viewers who might not be familiar with the intricacies of college football, especially for FCS programs.

I think the real test for BET and SMAC Entertainment is finding a compelling narrative to showcase for Norfolk State, considering the outcome of the season. It’s easy to tell a story of an insurgent team with a former NFL great as head coach, winning games. That’s what we saw with Amazon Prime’s Coach Prime documentary, particularly in his years at Jackson State. But how is BET going to show the down times, significant losses, injuries, and conflicts within the team?

I think that, more than episode one, which covered Norfolk State’s opening loss to Towson, episode three showed us what we’re in store for as we head into the rest of these episodes and the rest of the season. The showcase of the game against Rutgers was short, but seeing the different aspects of Vick’s and the coaching staff’s thoughts on what was happening was insightful. It was also, at the beginning, a spotlight on how these games against FBS teams can put players in the spotlight and potentially lead to a draft pick or an undrafted free agent contract to fuel their NFL dreams.

Ke’von King is surely a talent that’s worth playing on Sundays. The fact that he scored Norfolk State’s only touchdown of the day against a tough Rutgers defense is good film for scouts and says a lot about his talent and his ability to translate his skills to the next level when it’s time.

But I think the Rutgers loss gave the show’s producers and editors plenty of runway to showcase other aspects of Vick’s coaching journey leading up to the game against Wagner. I liked the mentorship and teaching Vick demonstrated by imparting his knowledge to Norfolk State students and his players, as that is part of being a coach at the high school or college level.

You’re not just coaching the game; you’re also developing young men in the process. That’s why, along with the glitz and glamour of being a college coach, these positions often involve a level of servant leadership and educational development that is often overlooked. In that role, I think Vick won’t have a problem connecting with his players and leading them to success while guiding them away from the pitfalls he experienced in his career.

I again think the strongest element of The Coach Vick Experience is when the student-athletes are covered. Outside the “usual suspects” thus far, such as Otto Khuns, Israel Carter, and Ke’von King, we were also introduced to Terique Miles, a student-athlete and young father. He looks at the league not just as a dream for himself, but as a way to make money and provide for his family, which is an amazing deviation from typical professional aspirations.

We also meet Marco Perry, who is a punter for Norfolk State that Vick clearly wasn’t enthused with, as he dropped a couple of punts that ultimately led to scores in the Rutgers game. Vick, at times, came off a little harsh; I think there are ways you can coach around the issues that plagued Marco in those moments, but his frustration was understandable given what happened on those plays.

It’s also amazing to see Alauna Marable spotlighted significantly throughout the first three episodes. Marable is an aspiring sports broadcaster who is active on campus in her media pursuits, and she is featured to give a student-journalist perspective on what’s occurring with Norfolk State. I hope that her spotlight on this series increases her follower count and provides her with good footage for her reel, leading to more opportunities in the future.

The Overstating of HBCUs being under-resourced

There’s a scene where Kijafa Vick is with her college friend at the Wagner game. Her friend notices that Norfolk State’s cheerleaders weren’t at the game, and Kijafa, an HBCU alumna of Hampton University, immediately quips that Norfolk State didn’t have the budget to bring them. Now, I don’t know whether that was insider information Kijafa knew or just a guess based on her experience, but I didn’t like that comment. Do we have to remind the audience every episode that HBCUs are often under-resourced?

On top of that, that often isn’t why the cheerleaders and the band don’t show up to games such as Wagner or Rutgers or Sacred Heart. Typically, you save those experiences for schools that have thriving band programs and game atmospheres. What’s the benefit of making that trip to New York for the Wagner game if the band doesn’t have the infrastructure and the cheerleaders might not even have the opportunity to perform? And how many Norfolk State students, alumni, and fans made that trip, given the fact that Wagner College is six hours and two minutes away from Norfolk?

We have to be honest at a certain point: what are we comparing HBCU budgets to? Are we comparing it to other FCS programs or smaller FBS programs, or to HBCU sports budgets compared to Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, or Alabama I’ve seen that element of the framework displayed in the show often, and I think it’s unfair to Norfolk State and to HBCUs.

There are surely several viewers who are not familiar with the HBCU experience but are fans of Michael Vick or curious BET viewers checking out the show. That’s not a great narrative to reinforce in the public consciousness, especially given that HBCUs face their own set of issues and benefit from their own institutional strengths.

The Episode Was Solid

But by and large, it was hard to find fault in this episode as it seemed to flow better than episode two. We got to see the “before, during, and after” of two pivotal games on Norfolk State’s calendar. I would like to see Michael Vick take some blame for the team being undisciplined and possibly not fully ready to perform.

I think he’s shifting blame a lot in some elements of the three episodes we’ve seen thus far. If a team won only one game in a whole season of 12, it couldn’t just be the students’ fault. At some point, it has to be on the coaching staff and Vick himself. I would really like to see more growth from Vick in that way and see him truly “coach up” the student-athletes instead of harping on every mistake and continuing to say that “he runs the team”. But hopefully that’ll come as the show highlights the midseason part of Norfolk State’s journey.

The Coach Vick Experience airs Wednesdays at 10 PM Eastern, 9 PM Central on BET.

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