By Austin Perry

Copyright outkick

I tried to tell you guys that Flight Tracking Season was about to get started in a big way. And, of course, one of the biggest components of Flight Tracking Season is the ever popular “surprise coaching candidate” name-drop. Usually, it’s an alumnus of the university, or perhaps a former player looking to “come home.” For the open coaching gig at Virginia Tech, it looks like a new name has entered the fray that fits the above criteria perfectly. Whoa! What a bombshell! Yes, it would appear as though former Hokies standout and multi-time NFL Pro Bowler, Michael Vick, is being “seriously considered” for the Virginia Tech head coaching job after former coach, Brent Pry, was shown the door no more than 48 hours ago. It’s extremely early in the coaching search process for the folks in Blacksburg, so this has a chance to twist and turn in a million different directions. So much so, in fact, that I can almost guarantee that Vick won’t end up being the coaching pick, but these first several days after a prominent, Power 4 job opens up are so much fun and rife with intrigue. To speak on the actual coaching credentials of Vick, there are none, as On3’s Pete Nakos notes in his post. This has caused large swathes of Hokie fans to push back on the initial reports of Vick being named a legitimate candidate, but if guys like Pete Nakos are reporting it, there has to be some truth to the rumor. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, as they say. That hasn’t stopped some Virginia Tech fans from losing their absolute minds on the internet, another hallmark of a college football coaching search. The allusions to Deion Sanders are interesting, considering both are former superstar players in the NFL, but I think Vick is a little less flashy and cocksure, plus he has the alumni angle working for him. That said, I agree with the Hokie fans who are pressing the panic button, as I don’t think Vick has the experience or coaching credentials to take a Power 4 head coaching job just yet. As for actual candidates, I would keep an eye on guys like USF head coach Alex Golesh or Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein. Golesh’s star may have cooled slightly thanks to the absolute beatdown his Bulls experienced at the hands of the Miami Hurricanes, but Stein, on the other hand, will certainly be one of the hottest names during this year’s coaching carousel. Should the Ducks continue to put up the absurd offensive numbers they have throughout the rest of this year, I don’t see a world where the 35-year-old playcaller isn’t one of the first candidates taken off the board by season’s end. Buckle up, boys and girls, we are only on day two of Flight Tracking Season, and it’s about to get a whole lot crazier. Will someone promise to do a wellness check on me when Tim Tebow gets named as a potential candidate for the Florida coaching job, though? I swear I will make these Hokie fans look like Ghandi by comparison.