Summer is a time of relative calm on the East Carolina campus as athletic director Jon Gilbert noted Wednesday. "We don't have as many sports teams that are here," Gilbert said. "Football, men's and women's basketball. We've got some volleyball student athletes and soccer student athletes here, but not the entire student body population or student athlete population, and so … [Read more...]
VIEW FROM THE EASTThe first step: A look at Norfolk State
East Carolina opens the 2024 football season at home against Norfolk State on Saturday, Aug. 31, at 6 p.m. (ESPN+). It will be the first gridiron meeting between the two programs, located approximately two hours apart. There was a matchup scheduled as the third contest for ECU in 2020 but it was scrapped due to COVID protocols. Both teams are looking for a resurgence … [Read more...]
CLASS OF 2025 RECRUITING FEATUREPedigreed safety Speer plans early enrollment
Durante Speer has spent most of his life on the football field and around football players. Speer's grandfather, Eddie Sheats, played defensive line for Kansas in the early 1970s and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the 1973 NFL Draft. His father, Terrence, was a cornerback at Alabama A&M and cousin DeMario Minter is a former NFL cornerback. But even though … [Read more...]
CLASS OF 2025 RECRUITING FEATURELesson on ECU football culture swayed Cooley
Zion Cooley wasn't very familiar with East Carolina football when the Pirates extended a scholarship offer on January 23, 2024. "I really didn't know anything other than their team color is purple,'' said Cooley, who would receive an accelerated course on ECU football over the next four-and-a-half months. The knowledge he gained convinced the 6-foot-4, 225-pound edge rusher … [Read more...]
VIEW FROM THE EASTMemphis favored in AAC football
Preseason publications and oddsmakers have established Memphis as the favorite in American Athletic Conference football. In a landmark year in college football with expanded playoffs, there will be a new AAC champion as Southern Methodist has moved to the ACC. A $100 wager on the Tigers will pay $230 if they win the AAC championship on Dec. 6. East Carolina will pay … [Read more...]