Football coach Blake Harrell used some examples from the weekend when talking about the Pirates’ progress in spring practice this week.
In reference to the quarterback competition between transfers Emory Williams from Miami and Mitch Griffis from Texas Tech, Harrell was asked what he was looking for in evaluating the duo.
“Taking care of the football,” Harrell said.
Avoiding turnovers is a tenet of the ECU program and others. That will be important as always when the Pirates conduct their first scrimmage of the spring on Friday morning.
ECU has improved in taking care of the ball on offense and taking it away on defense as Harrell has compiled a 14-5 record since taking over head coaching responsibilities on Oct. 20, 2024.
“Two years ago, we were probably close to leading the country in turnovers and we did a much better job taking care of the football this past season,” Harrell said. “If you’ll take care of the football, I always think you have a chance to win. It seems like there’s more teams out there that beat themselves than teams that win games.
“It’s really about every sport. I mean, I was watching some basketball … , a blue team (Duke), then some team from up north, maybe UConn. And if the blue team just holds the basketball and gets fouled, they have a chance to win the game.
“Instead they turn it over. So they really beat themselves. There’s more in every sport. I’m sorry if that’s a sore subject for some of you, but in every sport there seems like there are teams that beat themselves.
” … Put the ball in our hands and take care of it. Same thing defensively, we’ve got to create those turnovers. So I think that’s number one.”
Harrell continued on the basis for evaluating the quarterbacks.
“Just making good decisions,” he said. “Who is making good solid decisions to help us win football games? Both of them are plenty talented enough. Both of them are really good, smart kids that are good leaders.
“I see them grow and get better every single day in the way they attack it. No. 1 for me would be taking care of the football.”
Importance of attacking
Harrell used a personal comparison to illustrate his philosophy on aggression and its value in football.
He has to be careful because, from a gender standpoint in his household, he is outnumbered by his wife and three daughters.
Harrell had said his daughter’s volleyball team lacked the degree of commitment necessary for college football success in his remarks at the first spring practice news conference.
The Pirates are progressing on the gridiron. So is his daughter’s volleyball team.
“We’re taking steps in the right direction and getting better,” he said. “I better add this in there too. My daughter’s volleyball team is getting better as well. … I’m tired of sleeping on the couch.”
Harrell offered another family-related parable regarding in regard to the urgency of actively attacking.
“I did tell my other daughter this past weekend that if we go to another softball tournament and she doesn’t swing, then she may not go back,” Harrell said. “So swing the bat. It’s my point to her. I’m sure I’ll be sleeping on the couch again.”
Harrell is looking for assertiveness.
“Like my daughter’s still sitting there with the bat on our shoulders, type of mentality, just trying to walk instead of, ‘Hey, we’re trying to swing it and get on base that way.’ So we’ve got to have more of that mentality (as a football team).”
No cell phones
Establishing a culture is another area Harrell values in team development. The sheer volume of 38 new players makes that a challenging order.
Harrell has devised one practical method of enhancing team cohesion. Players turn in their cell phones before team meals.
“I just got asked that by a recruit,” Harrell said. “He’s like, ‘How do you build your culture, build your team?’
“You can always go back to the weight room and the time you spend in there and the time you spend sweating and working and grinding together.
“We do some mindset leadership training,” Harrell said. “Coach (Mason) Baggett (strength coach) does a great job of that.
“We have a leadership council that we kind of talk to and spend a little extra time with. We push and nudge guys in that direction.
“But surprisingly, the easiest thing we found and it’s been pretty successful is just take their phones away at dinner. It’s pretty cost efficient and pretty easy. Just take their phones away and kind of force them to (talk to each other). … They’re so locked in on their phones and it’s not just our players.
“It’s everywhere and everybody. I mean, I catch myself doing it. Just locked in on your phone and seeing news updates or what’s going on everywhere else. You forget to kind of have a conversation with the person beside you.
“It worked really well for us last year and this group does a really good job of that, too. Before you know it, they’ll be pulling tables together and hanging out. The noise level will go up and that’s a good thing.
“Those things help build culture.”
Recruits in droves
The Pirates had Student Appreciation Day last Friday and this Friday will be First Responders Day.
The ECU coach said about 150 recruits had been on hand during the first two weeks of spring ball.
Mesh with Tesh
Roy Tesh is the longest-tenured current position coach on the Pirate staff, working with the defensive line which has been a consistent team strength in recent years.
Tesh was hired at ECU on Dec. 7, 2018.
He is currently co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach.
Harrell joined the Pirates as defensive coordinator and has served in that capacity in the Military Bowl wins the last two seasons in addition to head coaching responsibilities.
“Coach Tesh is awesome,” Harrell said. “He’s been here since (the 2019 season) and does an outstanding job in that D-line room — just his consistency and his passion and his standard that he has for that room and our entire defense.
“I really appreciate what he does for this program and what he does for everyone here and his leadership too. He kind of sets the tempo on that side of the ball with toughness, stopping the run and things we need to do to win the game. He’ll continue to do that. Look forward to it.”
First things first
Harrell said the current priority is players, not plays.
“We’re talking about developing players right now,” he said. “It’s not about developing plays. I’ve told both sides of the football that.
“I was this way as a coordinator, too. You can get caught up in your install, caught up in getting this pressure in, or this scheme- or this concept in.
“We had to go back to the fundamentals and talk about tackling, talk about blocking, talk about leverage, talk about footwork, first step, our eyes, all those things. That’s what we’ve got to develop the most in developing those guys.
“At some point, how can we get our best 11 out there?”
Developing leadership
With only five starters total returning on offense and defense from the Military Bowl win over Pitt, the Pirates must obviously replace a large segment of team leadership.
Harrell and staff are trying to promote that process.
“They kind of grow into that. And I think we’ve got guys growing in that direction right now. Defensively, I’d say D.J. Johnson (linebacker) has a really good grasp of what we’re doing and understands the expectations and kind of getting everybody pushing in that direction. He’s also got to make sure he takes care of D.J., but at the same time, I think he can be a leader through his actions and the way he plays.
“Preston Carr (defensive lineman) is obviously an older guy. Jaysiah Robinson (defensive lineman) on that side of the ball. Julien Davis (linebacker) is an outstanding young man on and off the field and we continue to just comment on him for his leadership and the way he approaches the game.
“Offensively, we’ve got some new offensive linemen, but I think those guys are older guys, played a lot of snaps. I think we’ll see those guys as spring goes on, as summer rolls around, become more and more leaders and step into that role.
“Brock (Spalding, receiver). Brock doesn’t say a whole lot, but Brock leads by the way he plays the game and just the football player he is.”
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