NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk State opens the 2026 football season on Saturday night, hosting Winston-Salem State at William "Dick" Price Stadium in a 6 p.m. kickoff that renews a series dormant for more than a decade and reunites the Spartans with a coach who was on their sideline a year ago.
It is the 23rd all-time meeting between the two programs, the first since 2009, and the first game of
Michael Vick's second season leading his hometown program.
About the Spartans
Vick enters year two at Norfolk State after a 1-11 debut campaign in 2025 that included an 0-5 mark in MEAC play. The Spartans were picked fifth in the 2026 MEAC preseason poll, but drew one first-place vote, a nod to the volume of roster turnover Vick engineered in his second offseason.
The offense is the clearest area for growth. Norfolk State averaged 20.2 points per game in 2025, next-to-last in the MEAC, and finished last in the conference in third-down conversion rate. Vick has been direct about the standard he expects.
"I told them, they'll learn a lot about themselves — and it's starting to show," Vick said this spring.
Vick opened fall camp without naming a single starter, and the quarterback competition ran to the wire.
Deljay Bailey emerged as the Spartans' starter for Saturday, edging fellow newcomer
Reginald Johnson in what Vick called an open competition at every position. Bailey arrives from Itawamba Community College, where he completed 68.6 percent of his throws for 1,653 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2025 after previously appearing in seven games at Grambling State.
The Spartans must also replace their leading rushers and much of their 2025 receiving production, making Saturday a genuine first look at what the rebuilt skill positions can produce.
About the Rams
Winston-Salem State arrives from the CIAA, where the Division II program went 4-6 overall and 2-5 in league play in 2025. The Rams are among the most decorated programs in Division II history: 12 CIAA championships, the 2012 NCAA Division II national runner-up finish, and back-to-back black college national championships in 2011 and 2012.
This is a new era in Winston-Salem. Tory Woodbury, a Rams alum, took over the program this offseason and has built his first camp around a "Restore the Standard" message. WSSU was picked fifth in the CIAA preseason poll — a placement Woodbury has said he is comfortable with for a first-year staff.
The Rams replaced significant production of their own, most notably at quarterback after starter Daylin Lee entered the transfer portal. Senior defensive back Chancellor Smith and graduate wide receiver Jayden Grimes represented Winston-Salem State at CIAA Football Media Day in July and anchor the veteran core Woodbury inherits.
The Rams open the season on the road at Norfolk State before returning to Bowman Gray Stadium to host Mars Hill on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Series History
Norfolk State and Winston-Salem State first met in 1941 and have played 22 times since, with Saturday marking the 23rd meeting overall. The Spartans hold an 11-7-4 edge in the all-time series.
The two programs have not met since Nov. 21, 2009, when Norfolk State closed its season with a 28-21 win at Dick Price Stadium. The Spartans took an early lead on a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown and held on when a WSSU pass from the Norfolk State 46 was picked off in the closing minutes.
That was the third straight Norfolk State win in the series. The Spartans also took a 23-20 decision in 2007 and a 17-14 win in 2008, averaging 22.7 points across the three-game stretch.
Familiar Faces
On the sideline. Woodbury spent the 2025 season on Vick's staff at Norfolk State as assistant head coach and special teams coordinator before being hired at his alma mater. He knows the building, but the roster and schemes on the other sideline are completely new.
Woodbury's résumé runs deep. As a quarterback at Winston-Salem State from 1997-2000, he threw for a school-record 4,536 yards and 40 touchdowns while rushing for 1,020 yards and 20 scores; his 60 combined touchdowns tied a program record. He signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent and spent time with several NFL organizations before moving into coaching, including a five-year run with the Los Angeles Rams that produced a Super Bowl LVI ring. He is a member of both the WSSU and CIAA halls of fame.
In the huddle.
Three players on Winston-Salem State's 2026 roster came to the Rams from Norfolk State:
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The Rams also carry several Hampton Roads ties, including senior tight end Kavase Towns (Suffolk / Kings Fork HS), junior defensive lineman
Avir Johnson (Portsmouth / Landstown HS) and sophomore defensive back Maurice Outten (Portsmouth / I.C. Norcom HS).
How to Follow
Buy Tickets Now!
Single-game tickets for Saturday's opener are on sale now through
Norfolk State's official ticketing site.
Important — 2026 gameday campus entry policy: All fans must have a ticket in hand before entering campus. Purchase in advance to avoid delays at the perimeter.
Fans planning their gameday should review the Spartans Fan Guide for stadium, parking, transportation and tailgating information.
Up Next
Norfolk State stays in the 757 but hits the road, traveling across town to face Old Dominion on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 6 p.m.
For complete coverage of Norfolk State Athletics, please follow the Spartans on social media at @nsuspartans (X/Twitter), /NorfolkStateAthletics (Facebook), @NSUAthletics (Instagram), @nsuathletics (YouTube) or visit the official home of Norfolk State Athletics at nsuspartans.com.
