Signing Day will be special for Jackson Vick, his family
National Signing Day will be special for NC State football recruit Jackson Vick and his family Wednesday.
Vick has played various roles in his family, starting with being a good big brother to sophomore point guard Jordan Vick, who will have his own signing day celebration in two years. He is also close with his 12-year-old brother James Vick, who plays football, basketball and baseball. He goes by "Baby J."
“Wednesday really represents everything I’ve worked for since I was a child,” Jackson said. “Plus, everything my parents have instilled in me since I was a child. My mom, Mia Vick, she instilled hard work. Since we started playing sports, she let us know if we were going to do it, we had to work hard.
“It is a check point. It’s not the end of the journey, but a check point.”
The Vick brothers are soaking up the memories at Bailey (N.C.) Southern Nash High this winter. They even almost connected on an in-bounds alley-oop play, with Jordan tossing it to Jackson during a recent game Nov. 30 at Wilson (N.C.) Fike High. The 6-foot, 175-pound Jackson Vick is considering enrolling early at NC State, so the chance to play hoops together could be ending soon.
“The bond with my brother is more than just me and my brother,” said Jordan Vick, 15. “It’s love and a whole bunch of care. He took care of us when we were young. My mom is a single parent and she worked overtime all the time. He took care of us. He is really like a father figure.”
Jordan recalled the time when the family lived in Spring Hope, N.C., which is population around 1,320.
“We lived in this blue box-shaped house, a cube house,” Jordan said. “He would watch us day-in and day-out while my mom worked.”
Jackson Vick recalled those days of taking care of his brothers until his mom came home. He credits his mother for being “unbelievable.”
“I wouldn’t call it being a father figure, but more of a big brother,” said Jackson, 17. “I know that is how they look at me, but I don’t look at it like that.
“I take that [being a role model] very seriously. I know what my brothers have. I know the talent they have and the potential. I always try to do right because I know they’ll try to do anything I do.”
Both Vick brothers use their speed to their advantages.
Jackson Vick primarily played running back this season and rushed 156 times for 1,274 yards and 17 touchdowns. He projects to play cornerback at NC State. He knows being in college will be a tough adjustment because watching his younger brothers play sports brings such joy.
“If I enroll early, that will take a toll on me,” Jackson said. “I won’t be able to finish high school hoops with my brother. That is definitely a big thing. It kind of hurts if that happens. We are just playing it by ear.”
Jordan Vick is also explosive going end-to-end on the basketball court, but does it in a smooth style. It’s almost like he’s on skates.
“Basketball is about pace — slow down and speed up,” Jordan said. “It’s about dribble speed. It all plays a part in getting by defenders and finishing plays. Being unselfish is a big thing. Unselfish is the key word there.”
Jackson Vick has always known his future was in football, while Jordan Vick is a talented point guard prospect with offers from Florida, Illinois, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest. Jordan Vick unofficially visited NC State and Vanderbilt this fall.
“Jordan, seeing how much he has grown as a player and how more confident he has gotten,” Jackson said. “He used to be really quiet and laid back. The steps he has taken to get to where he is now is a blessing to me and my whole family.”
Jackson Vick’s recruitment was likely more straight-forward than what Jordan’s predicts to be. Vick picked NC State football over Wake Forest, Duke, Appalachian State and East Carolina on June 14, 2021.
"When I first committed, I knew where I wanted to go, and then I committed, and then I was like, 'Did I commit too early?'" Jackson said. "Since then, it has been nothing but a blessing. The coaching staff, we've gotten way
Jordan can’t wait to see his older brother play football for NC State. He was part of the field-storming after the win against North Carolina on Nov. 26.
“My brother is going to be in good hands because those guys up there can play,” Jordan Vick said. “I’ve been to plenty of games and have seen them beat the best. Those guys never stop. They are a whole bunch of dogs.”
It’s important for Jordan Vick to stay somewhat close to home. He knows what an offer from NC State would mean, if that day were to come.
“My mom actually works in Raleigh up by NC State,” Jordan said. “She operates on all their players and stuff, so it’s pretty cool.
“When Jackson goes up there for his recruiting stuff, they also kind of recruit me while we are there. I’ll be talking to Coach [Kevin] Keatts and the players. I went to a couple of their practices. It’s nice up there.”
The 5-foot-11, 150-pound Jordan Vick half-joked about his new-found weight room exploits, in relation to his much more built older brother.
“My freshman year, I played football,” Jordan said. “I was moved up to the varsity after the first game [at Southern Nash]. I wanted to play this year, but the Team Durant [traveling team] coaches didn’t want that. It’s more business now.”
Jordan Vick’s original dream was to be the next Coby White at Wilson (N.C.) Greenfield School. White, who is from Goldsboro, N.C., starred at Greenfield School and was in the class of 2018. He played one year at North Carolina and became a first-round draft choice of the Chicago Bulls.
“I went there for all my sixth grade, left in seventh grade, but came back for ninth grade,” Jordan said. “I left to go back to Southern Nash in the middle of the basketball season.
“Coby and I were pretty cool and worked out together all the time. He’s a good guy.”
With Jordan on his way to also have his college paid for one day, it’s been a “blessing” that the Vick brothers have experienced.
“Coming from where we have come from, just for sure,” Jackson said. “I know everybody is proud of us because they see how hard we work and how our talent has carried over since we kept going and going.”
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