Jan 17, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Adam Schefter on the ESPN Monday Night Countdown set before a NFC Wild Card playoff football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
College FootballESPNBy Sam Neumann on

Adam Schefter’s foray into college football reporting hit another snag on Monday.

Schefter initially reported that Sacramento State was in discussions to hire Michael Vick as its next head football coach, a claim that quickly unraveled under scrutiny. What really raised eyebrows, though, was his assertion that Sacramento State had over $50 million in NIL funding.

That figure sparked immediate pushback, most notably from The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel.

Mandel clarified that the $50 million likely referred to fundraising commitments over the next decade from a group hoping to position Sacramento State for a potential move to the Pac-12. As Mandel pointed out, if Sacramento State actually had $50 million in cash on hand, it could attract nearly any coach in the country — not just Vick.

So Schefter’s framing of the number seemed, at best, misleading.

The story didn’t end there. Sacramento State itself pushed back, with The Sacramento Bee reporting that multiple athletic department officials refuted Schefter’s claim. Joe Davidson of the Bee cited an unnamed source who described the report as a “rumor,” adding that Vick wasn’t close to becoming the Hornets’ next head coach.

Whether Vick remains a candidate at Norfolk State — where his name had also been floated — is a separate matter.

This marked the second time during the current coaching cycle Schefter’s college football reporting has faced immediate challenges. In November, Schefter reported that Ray Lewis had emerged as a candidate for Florida Atlantic’s head coaching vacancy. That report lasted mere hours before being debunked. FAU ultimately hired Texas Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kittley, and even ESPN’s own reporting undercut Schefter’s claim, noting that the school was “focused on other candidates.”

With Sacramento State more directly rejecting Schefter’s latest report, the backlash grew louder — and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk took aim.

Florio, who has sparred with Schefter in the past, accused him of being played.

The game is obvious. The emergence of reports tying a given candidate to a specific job can take on a life of its own. In this case, linking Vick to the Sacramento State job operates as obvious leverage in his talks with Norfolk State.

When this happens, deeper questions arise. Does the reporter not know he’s being scammed? Or does the reporter willingly go along with it, knowing that the source will make it up to him (and then some) with other scoops in the future?

For his part, Schefter offered a clarification, sharing a statement from Sacramento State President Luke Wood.

“[Michael Vick] has expressed interest in the position, and yes, I did meet with him about his interest in Sac State football and our athletic rise,” said Wood. “As you can imagine, given the success of our athletic programs, our football head coach job is an attractive role.”

That statement only gave Florio more ammunition.

“So you’re admitting they’re not ‘in discussions to hire’ Vick? Because that’s what you said,” wrote Florio.

To Schefter’s credit, Vick did meet with Sac State officials. Whether they’re actually in discussions to hire him as the next head coach is an entirely different story.

[Sacramento Bee, PFT]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann