Blake Harrell is preparing for his second season as defensive coordinator at East Carolina. His unit has more depth and experience than 2020 when the Pirates yielded 447.3 yards of total offense and 35.4 points per game in a 3-6 season. The COVID-shortened 2020 campaign ended with wins over Temple and Southern Methodist — creating optimism going forward and putting the … [Read more...]
Football Recruiting ReportWest Craven star Mims sticking close to home
Michael Twichell believes C.J. Mims is one of the best, if not the best defensive line prospect among North Carolina's senior high school football players. There is certainly significant evidence to back up that assertion by Twichell, who is Mims' head coach at West Craven High School in the Eastern North Carolina town of Vanceboro. Over the last two seasons, the 6-foot-2, … [Read more...]
VIEW FROM THE EASTPirates ready for preseason camp
This has been a normal summer for East Carolina football, at least in comparison to the restrictions of 2020. Recruiting has been productive. Players have been getting bigger, stronger and faster. Pirates coach Mike Houston will soon begin formal preparations for the 2021 season opener in Charlotte against Appalachian State on Thursday, Sept. 2, at 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU). "Busy," … [Read more...]
Football Recruiting ReportLineman built his future during COVID layoff
Tyler Leinberger was angry and frustrated like many when COVID-19 forced the postponement of Virginia's 2020 high school football season until the spring. But the unplanned hiatus led to a breakthrough for the Thomas Dale High School offensive lineman that turned him into a major college prospect. "I think that time, honestly, was a blessing for me,'' said Leinberger, who … [Read more...]
Football Recruiting ReportNorcross star on track for early enrollment
When Zakye Barker would cry as an infant, his father Zach would flip on the TV and try to find a football game. "I'd cry all day, but when he'd turn on the TV and put on football I'd stop crying,'' Barker said. "It was like I knew what was going on. So once I turned four they were like, 'Well, we have to put you in football.' I was all for it even though I couldn't start … [Read more...]