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...]
ECU Football & Basketball Recruiting
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...]
VIEW FROM THE EASTDooley steers through tricky waters
College athletics are in a state of flux. Programs are coming out of pandemic restrictions. First-time transfers don't have to sit out a year. Players are beginning to generate revenue from their name, image and likeness. East Carolina basketball coach Joe Dooley has been figuring out how to navigate the non-traditional currents as summer school draws to a close Aug. 6 and … [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...]
VIEW FROM THE EASTPirates pulling from portal
East Carolina has been affected by the ebb and flow of talent in the transfer portal since the NCAA ruled that student-athletes can have immediate eligibility the first time they switch schools. Pirates baseball coach Cliff Godwin said the new regulation is not "real life," allowing athletes to seek greener pastures rather than adjust to circumstances at their first … [Read more...]