East Carolina opened preseason football camp on Wednesday morning and Blake Harrel was enthusiastic as he entered his third season as head coach since taking over the program on Oct. 20, 2024.
“It’s an exciting time of year, probably my favorite time of the year,” Harrell said. “If you look at the season, the year long, I enjoy all of it and I enjoy being a football coach.
“But something about camp, when you get the opportunity to put that ball down and see the guys go at it and get that competition going, just gets you going.
“This is what I love doing, being a ball coach. So many of our players and coaches do the same. We know that camp is about building a foundation. Camp is about building the base of that house, the base of that pyramid that’s going to help us grow throughout the season.
“If we don’t take care of what’s important right now in camp and building that foundation, we’re going to have a weak foundation that’s going to crumble at some point in the season.”
ECU enters ‘no comfort’ zone
Harrell said preseason camp has to be demanding in terms of commitment from the players.
“As I told our players last night, we’re going to make camp tough as everybody in the country is,” Harrell said. “You have to learn how to handle adversity. You’ve got to keep pushing away comfort because at some point in camp, comfort can slide in.
“It can slide in and you get kind of okay with that and it can cripple you. We’ve got to be very cautious that we don’t let that happen. We have more summer access than we ever had to our players and we’ll even have more next summer.
“But there’s something different about summer access, OTA (Organized Team Activities), and the speed you can play at or the speed you can go — or the number of reps you can get in because of the limitations of hours compared to camp.
“You’re probably looking at quadruple, triple the number of reps you get in on a camp day.
“Some of our guys have got to learn to adjust to that. Today was one of our shorter practices, working into it. It’ll kind of grow throughout the week. First day in helmets.
“But excited, had really good energy out there, really good juice. Those guys are moving around. Guys know where they’re going. We’ve just got to do it with a little bit more urgency, intent and purpose about those things.
“We’re moving in the right direction. Obviously, we’ve got to continue to improve on that and get better every single day. That’s what camp’s about. You get to turn around and do it tomorrow.
“Unlike spring practice, you have two or three days before you do it again. In fall camp, preseason camp, you go right back the next day. Fired up about the next few weeks and fired up to see where our program goes — how much we can grow each and every single day.”
Spring vs. preseason
Harrell compared the opening day of spring workouts with the initial preseason session.
“We are ahead from where we were in the spring,” Harrell said. “I think we’ve obviously made tremendous growth since January, tremendous growth since spring practice.
“I’ve seen guys that have joined our program. I’ve seen guys who have been in our program step up and they all know the standard. They know the accountability piece and they’re pushing to uphold that standard and that accountability and protect the culture.
“You’re never satisfied as a coach. I think if you look at practice overall today, that’s an okay practice if you want to be a .500 football club. We’ve got to go push this thing and that’s not our goal. That’s not our expectations or aspirations. We’ve got to go push this thing out the roof and we’ve got to go fight for it.”
Offensive efficiency
Harrell has seen the offensive unit advance despite only one returning starter from a 9-4 team that topped Pitt, 23-17, in the Military Bowl. The Pirates were 6-2 in the American Conference in 2025.
“I do think we see some good things out there,” said the former defensive coordinator. “We’re operating offensively at a much higher level than we did in the spring, but we should be.
“We’ve had about 12 OTAs this summer. They had a few player-led practices as well. … We should be operating at a higher level.
“Defensively, I was a little disappointed that we weren’t operating at a higher level. We’ve got to do a better job matching routes, getting some reroutes in there and fixing those things up. Some things to clean up, but that’s why you go practice. That’s why you watch a film and push through it there.”
Understanding, accountability
Although most rosters have undergone extensive change, there are enough veterans in the program to communicate the Pirate culture to new arrivals.
“Just understanding the tempo, understanding the expectations,” Harrell said. “Our staff has done a really good job of communicating those things and making sure each individual understands that.
“The players that are already here in place that have developed through the years are also holding their teammates accountable.
“We’ve got to get more guys on board. … In the meetings today, I was a little disappointed that as we talk about some things, we’re not getting a loud enough echo from the back.
“Some of it’s just the new guys in the back, the freshmen that don’t quite understand that expectation of it. We’ve got to do a better job with those little things. As we say, little things, how we do everything — that’ll make the difference in tight ball games.”
Quarterback competition
Mitch Griffis, who played previously at Wake Forest and Texas Tech, and Miami of Florida transfer Emory Williams are continuing to compete at quarterback.
“I love this time of year because we get to go compete,” Harrell said. “If we just went and practiced all the time, didn’t go compete and it wasn’t winning or losing, nobody would care. Nobody would follow this game. It wouldn’t be so great.
“The fact we have competition in each and every position room is going to make us a better football team. …
“In that quarterback room, we’ve got great competition. … They’re doing a tremendous job of leading, a tremendous job of understanding the offense and what we’re trying to get done. …
“We talked about where we’re at from spring. Those two guys may have made the most growth. I think you’re seeing a healthy Emory Williams right now. In the spring, he was a little banged up. You can see him zipping the ball around back there.
“Mitch is playing with a lot of confidence. They both did some good things in the 2-minute drill today. Both led us down to some scores. … We’ll kind of keep going back and forth. One day, one guy will be with the ones (first team), one guy will be with the twos and kind of flip it back and forth.
“Eventually, we’ve got to kind of find a guy that’s going to kind of pull ahead of the other.
“In college football, it is hard to simulate that position to game day. At every other position, O-line, running back, linebacker, you can do live drills, live tackling, coming off the ball, all those things, you can simulate a game day.
“For the quarterback position, you never let those guys get hurt because if you let them get hurt in practice, that would just be silly and I probably wouldn’t be behind the podium anymore.
“But game day, there’s live bullets. Nobody’s staying away from the quarterback. They’re getting hit. They feel the pressure, all those things.
“That’s where you find out truly who they are. I could see a scenario right now, and this is August 5th, where we might play both quarterbacks early on just to see who is ready for the game. Maybe one guy plays the majority of the game, the other guy gets a couple of series.
“We’ll see how the rest of camp plays out. I mean, it’s three quarters through the offseason. We’ve got another quarter here. I’m feeling good about the progression, feeling good about the direction they’re going, the throws they’re making and understanding the offense.
“I just want to see how they progress in the next couple of weeks.”
Installation, again
The Pirates have been getting reviews on system installation.
Harrell hired Jordan Davis to direct the offense in the offseason and Jordon Hankins to coordinate the defense. Ample time has been devoted to understanding system adjustments with the volume of new players and first-year coaches.
“I joked around,” Harrell said. “I mean, this is our fifth time going through day one install. Because you go through it in February through all your installs, you go through it in spring ball, all your installs, summer one or summer session one, all installs, summer session two, all installs.
“Now back in fall camp, you’re back to install one. So there really shouldn’t be any misalignments or missed assignments. … You obviously do, but we should have most of those things cut out.
“We can really focus on what is going to win us football games. That’s how hard we play, the energy we play with, the discipline we play with, and execution. If we protect that piece of the culture, then we can win a lot of football games. …
“We talk to our guys. It’s not about what we do, but how we do it. How we play the game with pad level, first step, good eyes, all those things.”
Recovering players
Defensive back DeMarius Hines, offensive lineman Karson Jones and running back Dejuan Lacy have been working their way back from injuries. Harrell discussed that process.
“If there’s ever a positive to that, those three kids had each other,” Harrell said. “If you’re going through an injury, that can be a tough situation. Mentally, physically, you’ve got some battles ahead.
“But in that group, … they pushed each other, whether in the weight room, whether in rehab, recovery, running, just working their way back. It’s almost like they made a commitment to each other and it made each one of them better. …
“The energy Dejuan Lacy brings, the leadership Karson Jones brings, the edge Damarius Hines brings to the defense is really good for our football team. I’m excited for them as individuals to be back and happy. You always feel for a guy when he goes down. He’s out, he’s missing time and your heart breaks for them.
“But when they make it back, you’re just excited for them, excited for their energy. There’s a couple, we’ve got to be careful about how we bring them back and how we’re pushing them. Karson and Dejuan were pretty close to full speed today.
DeMarius is a step behind, but I see him getting there. I see that he’ll have some availability early in the season. But everything looks positive from those guys of what they’re doing for our football team.
“They look like older guys. They don’t look like they’re first-timers out there. I’m excited about what they’re going to bring on the field on Saturdays.”
Vocal leaders
Offensive tackle Bryce Weaver has some starting experience but was limited by injury last season. Harrell said the D.H. Conley grad is a vocal leader.
“Somebody told me about it last fall, … that his nickname was Juicy,” Harrell said. “So I’ve just been calling him Juicy now. That’s how I get him going. … Bryce is an energy guy, really a guy that gets them going offensively.
“Defensively, it’s Preston Carr. There’s various guys over there, D.J. Johnson. And they all do it in their own way. Julien Davis is another voice.
“Each and every guy kind of leads and steps up in their own way. We’ve got to get more of that. I think offensively, that O-line, Brandon Best, Karson Jones, a little bit different energy than Bryce.
“Bryce is kind of that hype energy with those other two guys. They’re all business. But it needs to be a mixture of that. It’s going to take a lot of different guys to get it done because there can be a play where you’re not at your best, but the guy beside you is and he’s helping you get back to that level.”
Maintaining culture
The issue when Harrell became head coach was re-establishing a culture for success. The challenge now is maintaining that edge.
“Looking back, … we were trying to pull every trick we could just to maintain, just to get going, just to flip the script,” Harrell said. “Last offseason, we really kind of instilled what we want to be, who we want to be about.
“Now everybody in the program understands that. Our coaches have done a great job of setting that tone.”
Shank’s input
Steve Shankweiler, former offensive line coach, now serves as director of high school and alumni relations as well as special assistant to the head coach.
“Coach Shankweiler did our shared time, our thought of the day this morning for our staff,” Harrell said. “Just talking about camp, we still set the tempo and it’s on us. It ain’t on the players. It ain’t on the young men. It’s on us as coaches to set that tempo, set the standard, hold them accountable.
“They all want to be coached because they’ve all got goals. They’ve all got aspirations. They all want to get better. They all want to be coached and held to a higher standard.
“We, as coaches, have got to push that. … If I don’t do those things that I’m asking the young men to do, then why should they do it? I’ve got to make sure we’re holding that standard. It starts with me and then it goes to each and every individual throughout the program.”
Running backs
The Pirates appear to have depth and talent among the ball carriers.
“That running back room is awesome,” Harrell said. “Those young men work. Coach (Julian) Griffin (running backs) is doing a great job in there. Super excited to have him in Greenville, him and his family. Just really good people, the whole family there.
“He is pushing that running back room. Obviously, the newcomers, Ashton Gray and Michael Allen have been very impressive. Michael Allen’s a guy that continues to grow on you each and every day. He had a great summer.
“He may have been our fastest running back or one of our fastest running backs in the room. The biggest vertical, the best squat, really impressive weight room numbers. He’s obviously got to take that to the grass, but he’s done a great job.
“Just looking forward to him getting back to dominant football. I know he’s had a tough career, battled some injuries, but I’m looking for big things out of him.
“Ashton Gray is another one we’ve talked about. You see the athleticism there. I want to see what he’s going to do during the tough times. Is he going to put the team on his back? Is he going to get the extra yards? Is he going to take care of the football?
“Dejuan Lacy, we already mentioned a little bit. Great to have him back. And then T.J. Engleman. T.J. Engleman’s a guy that came on late in the year last year. He’s wearing a single digit (4) this year.
“He kind of threw me off this morning. It’s like, who’s this new guy here? But he’s doing a great job.
Turnover margin
Harrell emphasized the importance of maintaining possession.
“I was kind of barking at the running back room a little bit because today one of our main focuses was the football,” Harrell said. “Turnover margin. I think we were top 10, top 12 in the nation last year in turnover margin.
“It made a huge difference in tight ball games. If you look at the year before, it was the opposite way and didn’t go our way sometimes. So we’ve got to do a great job of that.
“We went through about eight games, nine games last year of not fumbling the football in the running back room. So I was kind of getting on the running backs.
“T.J. in particular, because ninth game, he’s the one who put the ball on the ground. Just about ball security and doing those little things because that will make a difference in the ball game.
“We have an opportunity, a chance to be a good football team, but if we don’t take care of the football, some of that other stuff won’t matter.”
Rion Roseborough
Defensive lineman Rion Roseborough (6-2, 312) had three carries for 23 yards and a touchdown last season. He played on the high school level at John Paul II in Greenville.
“Let’s not talk about him getting faster,” Harrell said. “Rion Roseborough is an outstanding young man and I’m super happy he’s a Pirate.
“If we put the ball back there in his hands again, … the 252 (area code) will be up in the air and he’ll be right there next to Bryce celebrating.
“He can do a lot of good things. He’s really developed himself as a defensive lineman. Obviously didn’t play there in high school. Was a running back in high school over at JP2.
“The way he has developed, him and Coach (Roy) Tesh (defensive line) working closely, I expect big things out of him as a pass rusher this year as well as playing the run.”
Collier on defense
Harrell said Stephen Collier is getting a look on the defensive side.
“Stephen Collier is a young man going to his second year, played tight end, played defense in high school,” Harrell said. “He’s a 10.7, 10.8, 100-meter guy out of high school. So you know the speed is there.
“The tight end room just looked a little stacked. … We’ve got five guys that can play. I look over at the pass rushers. I’m like, ‘If we have one more pass rusher off the edge with elite athleticism, hey, that would really help us win some football games.’
“Stephen Collier is up to about 245 pounds, maybe 250. He told me he wants to be L.T. (Lawrence Taylor). So I didn’t even know he knew who L.T. was. He’s probably the only guy on our team.
“He looked really good doing some things today. He’s learning the position that’s going to be brand new to him, but I think he does have the athleticism, the length and speed and the size to come off the edge and maybe get to the quarterback.
“That’s something we’ve got to grow in the process that’s going to take some time, a new position for him. But we’re going to lean into that, see where it goes. If we get to a point where it doesn’t fit him or it’s not fitting, getting him on the field, then we’ll kind of pivot.
“That’s the main focus in camp is to find guys that can play football. … Obviously, evaluating Stephen, he’s the biggest one with the position change.”
Paying respect to Dale Steele
Harrell shared some thoughts on former ECU assistant coach and football administrator Dale Steele, who passed away at age 70 on July 19
“We lost a great Pirate in Dale Steele,” Harrell said. “He meant so much to this program, meant so much to me. His mentorship, his leadership and his love.
“Just can’t thank him and his family enough for what they meant to the Pirates, what they meant to me, and what they meant to our program.
“Just never forget him sitting down and talking about being a dad. This game is great. This program is great and love this game, but there’s nothing like being a husband and being a dad.
“Dale reminded us of that each day. We’ll miss him. We love him and love the Steele family. Our prayers and thoughts are with them.”
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