Blake Harrell revitalized East Carolina football last season. He's doing well in his NCAA Tournament picks, too. When he can, he's been following the March madness, which turned into April sadness for favored Duke with a 70-67 loss to Houston on Saturday as the Cougars closed on a 25-8 run. "I just get pulled in so many other directions with my daughters," said the … [Read more...]
VIEW FROM THE EASTPirates spring forward under Harrell
Blake Harrell is in the midst of his first spring practice as head football coach at East Carolina after overseeing a 180-degree turn by the Pirates to close the 2024 season. ECU was 3-4 when Harrell took over for Mike Houston on Oct. 20. Harrell continued as defensive coordinator during a surge in which the Pirates finished 8-5 with a 26-21 Military Bowl win over N.C. State … [Read more...]
VIEW FROM THE EASTWill 2024-25 be best year ever for Pirates?
The current school year has been one of the best ever f0r East Carolina based on performance in football, basketball and baseball. The turning point in an exhilarating football season took place on Oct. 20 when athletic director Jon Gilbert replaced Mike Houston as head coach with defensive coordinator Blake Harrell. The Pirates were 3-4 at the time and had been dealt … [Read more...]
AAC Recruiting RoundupPost-signing review: The ripple effect
The firing of half the league's head coaches and hiring of their replacements caused a ripple effect in football recruiting for the American Athletic Conference during the 2026 cycle. Seven of the 14 AAC teams sacked head coaches before the end of the regular season, and an eighth, UAB's TRENT DILFER, was hanging on by a thread in October before being retained for 2025. The … [Read more...]
Recruiting & Depth Chart BreakdownPirates shore up depleted defense
The area hit hardest by personnel losses this offseason in East Carolina's football program has clearly been on defense. The Pirates saw 10 prominent defenders complete their eligibility at the end of the 2024 season and 10 others exited via the transfer portal. The latter figure includes seven from the ECU secondary and three potential starters for 2025. Overall, the … [Read more...]