Sixteen years after Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb teamed up for the Philadelphia Eagles, Vick made a move that could reunite the legends for years to come, offering McNabb's son a scholarship to Norfolk State on Tuesday.
"My dad told me that Michael Vick was about to call me," Donovan McNabb Jr. told ESPN. "I didn't really believe it at first, but then when he did, I was kind of in shock. I mean, he's Michael Vick, but then he played with my dad too, so it was a big thing for me."
Vick and McNabb played just one season together before McNabb was traded to the Washington Commanders in 2010.
Vick took over and threw for 9,898 yards and 56 touchdowns over the next four years with the Eagles and retired in 2017 after 13 seasons.
He was named head coach of the Spartans in December.
McNabb retired in 2013 after 11 seasons, finishing No. 1 in Eagles history in passing yards (32,873) and touchdowns (216).
"I had never met him before," McNabb Jr. said of Vick. "So it was cool to talk to him and get the offer. That was big for me just knowing that he played with my dad and he was who he was in the league."
This past season, the 6-foot, 160-pound sophomore receiver made waves at Brophy Prep (Phoenix), posting 83 receiving yards on nine receptions and a touchdown for the Broncos.
Those flashes have earned McNabb Jr. nine other offers in addition to Norfolk State, including Arizona, Minnesota, Iowa State, Southern Miss, and Syracuse, among others.
McNabb starred for four seasons with the Orange before being selected No. 2 overall in the 1999 NFL draft by the Eagles.
When asked if playing at an HBCU for an NFL legend was appealing, McNabb Jr. said, "Very."
"It would be a big step," McNabb Jr. told ESPN. "Just the fact that he played with my dad, and I know he would take care of me there. It's definitely something I'm really gonna consider."
To that end, McNabb Jr. said he'll "definitely" be visiting the Spartans at some point in the future.
"I definitely want to get down there and see the campus and meet with him," McNabb Jr. said of Vick. "I think it's a good opportunity, and I'm just taking my dad's advice about remaining open at this point in the process."
