If and when Duke transfer quarterback Thomas Sirk takes his first snap at East Carolina in 2017, it will be the 1,000th of his college career. The milestone would have taken place for the Blue Devils last year but Sirk sustained a ruptured left Achilles tendon and sat out the season. Sirk missed 2013 at Duke after tearing his right Achilles. Sirk becomes the first … [Read more...]
View from the East
View from the East
Pirates ratchet up recruiting
The announcement of the addition of graduate transfers Thomas Sirk from Duke, Tyshon Dye from Clemson and Gaelin Elmore from Minnesota reinforces coach Scottie Montgomery's contention that East Carolina won't back away from anyone in recruiting. South Carolina came after Sirk, a quarterback, even after he had tweeted his plans to join the Pirates. Miami of the ACC sought the … [Read more...]
Insights from Brett
Embrace of grad transfers a risk worth taking
The graduate transfer market in college sports is similar in many respects to free agency in the professional ranks — with two glaring differences. For one thing, the players available to college programs are often someone else’s castoffs rather than some of the best in the business, as they are in the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball. And unlike those pro leagues, … [Read more...]
Football Recruiting
Pirates pluck high profile transfers
East Carolina can expect an immediate impact from a pair of late additions to its football recruiting class of 2017. Graduate transfers Gaelin Elmore, a decorated defensive end from Minnesota, and Tyshon Dye, a running back from Clemson's national championship team, have elected to complete their eligibility wearing the purple and gold after gaining … [Read more...]
Recruiting Report Card — Part Two
Defense: Pirates enlist impact newcomers
The objective for East Carolina’s coaching staff when it came to the defensive recruiting class of 2017 was crystal clear — sign as many players as possible to immediately bolster a unit ranked among the nation’s worst last season. The Pirates were near the bottom nationally in nearly every major statistical category in 2016. They were 100th out of 128 Football Bowl … [Read more...]