Editor's note: The "TIGHT END/H-BACK" section of this article has been updated since the original publication date. The COVID-19 pandemic had a dramatic impact on the 2020 college football season and recruiting for the Class of 2021. With summer camps and visits to campus all but erased due to virus outbreak, coaching staffs had to get creative in pursuit of talent. Zoom … [Read more...]
ECU Football Recruiting - Early EvaluationPirates fortify secondary
The number wasn't as large as the first two years of recruiting under coach Mike Houston. But the additions were significant Wednesday as East Carolina's football program picked up 16 new players during the first day of college football's early signing period. The total fell shy of the 18 Houston landed in his first recruiting class during the early period and far off the 25 … [Read more...]
Football RecruitingPirates land lineman with ‘nasty attitude’
Richard Pearce might well have developed into a star defensive lineman at another school. But when Pearce joined the storied program at Hueytown High School in Alabama the depth at that position led him in another direction. The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder turned instead into an offensive lineman, where the skills he’s displayed over the last two varsity seasons earned him … [Read more...]
Football RecruitingFormer TCU linebacker sets new path at ECU
Jacoby Simpson was looking for a second chance to play major college football last July when East Carolina defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Blake Harrell came calling. Simpson, a linebacker, had just enrolled at a Texas junior college in Cisco after playing two seasons at Texas Christian University. The 6-foot, 225-pounder had seen action in 11 games over … [Read more...]
Football RecruitingFlorida produces another quarterback gem for ECU
East Carolina's football record book is littered with the names of quarterbacks from the state of Florida. There's the great Jeff Blake (1988-91), from Daytona Beach, who orchestrated the historic Peach Bowl comeback against N.C. State. Delray Beach native James Pinkney (2003-06) and Lakeland's Dominique Davis (2010-11) both rank among the top five in ECU quarterbacks in … [Read more...]