The early signing period in December may have been the tip of the iceberg as East Carolina begins reshaping its football roster for the 2025 season.
The Pirates signed 21 athletes on Dec. 4 during the first part of the roster changeover. But 10 more newcomers committed to join ECU between Dec. 9-28 as the initial phase of the transfer portal took place. Additionally, the Pirates picked up a verbal commitment from two prominent junior college players who are expected sign when the traditional period opens in February.
But that may only be the start of off-season transactions for East Carolina, which is expected to continue to take advantage of the transfer portal when the spring window opens April 16-25. During that time many other athletes — including those currently involved in the national playoff — will decide to enter the transfer portal after participating in spring practice with their current teams.
Until then, here’s a look at who’s announced they’re coming and who’s said they’re leaving the East Carolina roster since the early signing period. It should be noted that some of the ECU players who have entered the portal do have the option of returning to ECU.
QUARTERBACK
WHO’S GOING: BRYSON HARRISON spent just one season at East Carolina after transferring from Georgia State. Harrison, from Marietta, GA, didn’t play at Georgia State and was headed for a backup role with the Pirates this season behind KATIN HOUSER and JAKE GARCIA. But those plans fell through when Harrison suffered an injury early in the season. He opted to enter the transfer portal for a second time on Dec. 8.
RUNNING BACK
WHO’S COMING: The Pirates dipped into the junior college ranks after the end of the early signing period to secure a verbal commitment from 5-foot-10, 195-pound DEJUAN LACY. Lacy ranked fourth among JUCO rushers this season with an average of 101.7 yards for Garden City Community College. In 11 games, he piled up 1,119 yards on 163 carries and scored 14 touchdowns. Lacy also had nine receptions for 152 yards and two more scores. ECU offered Lacy on Dec. 2, and he took his only official visit to Greenville on Dec. 12 before making his pledge Dec. 25. He picked up more than 20 offers, including ones from James Madison, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee State, Old Dominion, Troy, UAB and Wyoming.
Coming out of North Crowley High School in Fort Worth, Texas, Lacy was offered by Charlotte, Kansas State, North Texas, Texas State, Toledo, Tulsa and Utah. He piled up 3,584 yards and 30 touchdowns in three seasons at North Crowley. He signed with Mississippi Valley State, but only spent one season there, logging a single carry for -2 yards.
Lacy is expected to have three years of college eligibility remaining.
WHO’S GOING: Sophomore JAVIOUS BOND entered the transfer portal on Dec. 3 after spending two seasons with the Pirates. Bond was an effective runner, when healthy, averaging six yards per carry during his brief career. The Gray, GA, product ran 54 times for 323 yards and scored twice as a Pirate. He played in four games during the 2024 season, gaining 92 yards on 14 carries before an injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year. According to his X page (formerly Twitter), Bond has received offers from Austin Peay, Furman and Troy since entering the portal. He has reported to have committed to Austin Peay now where he’ll shift to defensive back.
WIDE RECEIVER
WHO’S COMING: One of the biggest portal coups so far for East Carolina was landing Oklahoma transfer JAQUAIZE PETTAWAY (5-10, 194). Pettaway was one of the nation’s top receiver prospects coming out of Langham Creek High in Houston, TX, in the Class of 2023. He was a consensus four-star prospect and was rated the nation’s No. 8 receiver by ESPN after collecting more than 1,800 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns in three prep seasons. Oklahoma won the recruiting battle for Pettaway over Mississippi and Texas. Over two seasons with the Sooners, Pettaway appeared in 20 games (one start) while making 16 catches for 157 yards. He had five catches for 87 yards against Texas in his only start this season. Pettaway entered the portal on Dec. 1 and committed to ECU on Dec. 20. He’ll have two years of eligibility left.
WHO’S GOING: The big loss here is CHASE SOWELL, who was a two-year starter with 81 career catches for 1,300 yards and four touchdowns. Sowell started nine games this season and ranked third in team receptions with 34 for 678 yards and scored three times. After a lot of portal interest, Sowell, from Humble, Texas, found a new home at Iowa State.
Special teams standout KERRY KING and freshman RYAN STEPHENS have also entered the transfer portal. King, a former walk-on who worked himself into earning a scholarship at ECU, had seven career catches for 72 yards with the Pirates. Stephens, the younger brother of standout linebacker CHAD STEPHENS, did not play in his only year at ECU.
TIGHT END
WHO’S GOING: True freshman NICK SLOGIK, from Lititz, PA, was recruited by ECU to play both baseball and football. He spent the 2024 football season fifth on the tight end depth chart and was redshirted. Although Slogik did work out with the baseball team on occasion, he departs without seeing any action on the diamond at ECU either. Slogik will have four years of eligibility remaining in football wherever he lands in the portal.
OFFENSIVE LINE
WHO’S COMING: So far, the Pirates have acquired more help for the offensive line since the early signing period than any other position. That makes sense considering ECU is losing starters in center DUSTYNE HALL, guard HAMPTON ERGLE and left tackle PATRICK MOORER.
The new additions are Maryland transfer KYLE LONG (6-5, 324), COOPER TRNARVSKY (6-5, 295) from NCAA Division II Newberry and junior college standout LEIVI SEMAIA (6-4, 340).
Long, from Florissant, MO, played 500 snaps and made six starts over two seasons at Marland as an offensive guard. He was expected to vie for a starting job this season but dropped to third on the depth chart and was limited to 46 snaps in six games. Long entered the transfer portal on Dec. 9 and committed to ECU on Dec. 23.
Trnarvsky is a product of South Carolina high school powerhouse Dorman outside of Spartanburg. He was a multi-year starter at tackle for Newberry, where he was named the team’s Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team South Atlantic Conference All-Piedmont Division squad as a senior. With one year of college eligibility remaining, Trnarvsky opted to enter the transfer portal on Nov. 19. He received numerous FBS offers but narrowed his options to Charlotte and ECU before picking the Pirates on Dec. 22.
The Pirates received a Christmas Eve gift with Semaia’s commitment on Dec. 24. Hailing from Torrance, CA, Semaia spent the last two seasons at El Camino Community College in Torrance. He started all 22 games for the Warriers and was named to the 2024 National Northern League first-team this season.
All three of the newcomers should compete for starting jobs in 2025.
WHO’S GOING: A pair of reserve blockers have hit the transfer portal so far, Class of 2024 signee KENNY WALZ and junior college transfer AMARIE ARCHER. Archer, a native of the Bahamas, played in just one game (15 snaps) this season after arriving from Dodge City Community College. Walz, a promising tackle from Midlothian, VA, was redshirted this season.
DEFENSIVE LINE
WHO’S COMING: A former hometown star is returning to Greenville in 6-2, 315-pound nose tackle RION ROSEBOROUGH. Roseborough prepped at John Paul II Catholic in Greenville where, oddly enough, he was better known for his rushing exploits. Twice he produced 2,000-yard plus rushing seasons before signing to play for FCS Towson University. He appeared in 14 games over two seasons with the Tigers, making nine tackles and one tackle for loss. Roseborough entered the transfer portal on Dec. 9 and gave his pledge to the Pirates on Dec. 20.
Arriving from former AAC rival Houston is another potential nose tackle in 6-1, 300-pound JUSTIN BENTON. He gave his verbal commitment to ECU on Dec. 19 after redshirting this season with the Cougars. Benton did see action in four games as a true freshman in 2023, making four tackles and a tackle for loss. He hails from Covington, GA, where as a senior at Newton High he was named the region’s co-defensive player of the year. More than 22 programs offered scholarships, including Georgia, Oregon, Penn State and Texas before he chose to sign with Houston.
Benton is expected to have four years of eligibility remaining, while Roseborough will have two or three to play.
WHO’S GOING: C.J. MIMS was regarded as one of the coups for ECU in the recruiting Class of 2022. Signed out of West Craven High in Vanceboro, NC., he became a major contributor on the defensive front the last two seasons for the Pirates. Mims played in 24 games during that time, making 37 tackles and six tackles for loss. He entered the transfer portal Dec. 9 and first committed to Wake Forest on Dec. 15. But when Wake coach DAVE CLAWSON stepped away from the job a day later, Mims re-opened his recruitment. He then chose to play for North Carolina on Dec. 19.
EDGE
WHO’S GOING: Diamond-in-the-rough prospect DEMORIS JENKINS (6-5, 255), from Charlotte, NC, never really found his footing at ECU. At the end of two seasons in Greenville, Jenkins had yet to play a down and was well down the depth chart at defensive end. The recruiting Class of 2023 member opted to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 3 and quickly found a new home at FCS Austin Peay where former ECU assistant Tripp Weaver is the defensive coordinator.
LINEBACKER
WHO’S GOING: The Pirates took a major hit in the linebacker corps when ZAKYE BARKER announced he was entering the transfer portal on Dec. 9. Barker was a rising star, who ranked second in team tackles this season with 86 and led the team in tackles for loss (12). He spent three seasons at ECU, redshirting as a true freshman in 2022, then playing in nine games in 2023. Barker started 10 of 11 games in 2024. Southern Methodist swooped in to secure Barker on Dec. 17.
Although he was more of a safety than a linebacker, GAVIN GIBSON started 11 times this season at an outside linebacker/nickel spot, including the Military Bowl. He was one of ECU’s top defenders in the bowl victory against N.C. State with five tackles and a tackle for loss. Gibson, who came to ECU from Maryland in 2022, entered the portal on Dec. 9. The Hickory, NC, native made 52 tackles, had 6.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions this season.
SAFETY
WHO’S COMING: One of the most popular ex-Pirates is returning home for his final collegiate season. TEAGAN WILK (5-11, 190) lettered three seasons for ECU between 2021-23 before deciding to hit the transfer portal in November 2023. He wound up at Houston where he played in three games this season before being sidelined the rest of the year with an injury. Wilk hit the portal again on Nov. 26 and was welcomed back by the ECU staff on Dec. 18. During his previous stint with the Pirates, Wilk made 99 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions in 34 games, 23 of which he started.
WHO’S GOING: Reserves JORDAN HUFF, KINGSTON MCKINSTRY and NO’TAVIEN GREEN have all put their names in the transfer portal.
Huff, who came to ECU via Hutchinson Community College in 2021, played in 24 games and made four starts over the last two seasons with the Pirates. He made 47 tackles during that time before hitting the portal on Dec. 29 with one year of eligibility remaining. McKinstry was a jack-of-all-trades for ECU since arriving in 2020 from Iowa Central Community College. He’s played safety, cornerback and linebacker at various times during his career, making 36 tackles over 32 games played.
Green played in one game this season and departs with three years of eligibility left.
CORNERBACK
WHO’S COMING: FCS second-team All-American JORDY LOWERY is joining the Pirates after three seasons at Western Carolina. Lowery, from Bartow, FL, emerged as a defensive star this season for the Catamounts after spending his redshirt freshman year as a reserve and special teams player. He registered 48 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, had 14 passes defended and produced six interceptions in 12 games. Lowery entered the portal on Dec. 7 and chose the Pirates on Dec. 20.
WHO’S GOING: Two notable performers have entered the portal from the cornerback positions. Two-year starter ISAIAH BROWN-MURRAY, who made 41 tackles and an interception in 2024, chose to exit the ECU program on Dec. 9. The Charlotte, NC, product quickly found a new home at Virginia Tech on Dec. 21 where he’ll have two years left to play.
DONTAVIUS NASH, who has played both safety and corner for the Pirates, entered the portal two days after making the game-clinching interception for ECU against N.C. State in the Military Bowl. Nash is a former four-star recruit from Gastonia, NC, who began his career at North Carolina. He transferred to ECU in 2023 and has played in 24 games over two seasons, starting nine times. Nash departs having made 58 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions. He’ll graduate from ECU in May and should be a coveted player in the portal market.
Also departing is ANDREW WILSON-LAMP, a starter in the final five games of the 2024 season. Wilson-Lamp, who came to ECU after three years at West Virginia, played in all 13 games this season, logging 23 tackles and an interception. Wilson-Lamp announced his entry into the portal on Jan. 2.
LONG SNAPPER
WHO’S COMING: Canadian TRISTON O’BRIEN (6-3, 200) spent the past season as the starting long snapper at FCS Indiana State. O’Brien, from St. Catharines, Ontario, began his college career at Cincinnati where he worked as a backup in 2023 before transferring to Indiana State.
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