The East Carolina job is open. ECU this week fired Mike Houston, marking the first head coaching change since the season began and kicking off the coaching carousel in earnest.
Houston went 27-38 in five-plus seasons and was dismissed after a 3-4 start to this season. The Pirates posted 7-5 and 8-5 seasons in 2021 and ’22, breaking a seven-year bowl drought. But ECU plummeted to 2-10 last year and has lost four of its last five games this year.
So how good is the ECU job? What names could get in the mix? Based on conversations with industry sources, here is a report card for the job and the potential candidates to keep an eye on.
Recent history/tradition: B-
East Carolina has deep tradition and a proud fan base. It led the AAC in attendance in 2022 with nearly 40,000 fans per game and finished second last year. The new coach won’t need to get fans to come out of the woods. The last decade has been difficult, but the Pirates reached eight bowls in nine years from 2006 to ’14. The dismissal of Ruffin McNeil after a 5-7 season in 2015 is still a sore spot for the program. Athletic director Jon Gilbert said a bowl game every year is the expectation, and that’s more than fair.
On-field outlook: C
The next coach will need to find or add some pieces. Many of the top contributors on this roster will have used up their eligibility, including running back Rahjai Harris, receiver Winston Wright Jr. and safety Omar Rogers. Cornerback Shavon Revel Jr., a potential first-round pick who is out for the season with a torn ACL, does have another year of eligibility, but it seems unlikely he’d return. Quarterbacks Jake Garcia and Katin Houser have more eligibility, but quarterbacks are hard to predict in a portal world. East Carolina ranks sixth in the AAC in 247Sports’ Team Talent rankings.
Money matters: B
ECU used to be well behind some of the AAC’s perennial contenders financially, but those heavyweights have since left for other conferences. Houston’s $2.4 million salary ranked third in the conference and sat just barely behind the top spot. That kind of money can pull in a Power 5 coordinator. The school in September completed fundraising for a long-needed indoor practice facility and will break ground on construction in the spring.
Name, image and likeness money is always more difficult to come by at the Group of 5 level, but Gilbert said ECU’s athletics fundraising is at an all-time high, and the Team Boneyard collective has a lot of support and runs much of that ship.
University stability: B+
Gilbert was hired at the same time as Houston, so this will be his first time leading a full football coaching search, including his previous stint as Southern Miss AD. The AAC believes strongly in ECU’s leadership: Gilbert chairs the AAC’s athletic directors committee and chancellor Philip G. Rogers chairs the conference’s board of directors. Rogers is from Greenville and has a deep connection and affinity for the school and the value of athletics.
Coach pool: B
So, what names could get in the mix?
LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan is an ECU alumnus and former player. He helped coach Jayden Daniels to the Heisman Trophy as LSU’s quarterbacks coach last year, and this year’s offense is still top-30 nationally in yards per play despite losing several NFL Draft picks.
Texas A&M defensive coordinator Jay Bateman is a Virginia native with a lot of experience in the region, having coached at North Carolina, Army, Elon and Richmond. He also has head coaching experience from a stint at Siena from 2000 to ’03. In his first season at Texas A&M, the Aggies are 6-1 and undefeated in SEC play.
Would Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley be interested? Riley spent 2013 to ’15 at ECU with his brother Lincoln and was part of the McNeil staff that was fired. But he makes more than $2 million already, and Clemson is back in the top 10.
Former UAB head coach Bill Clark retired in summer 2022 due to back issues, but industry sources believe he’s ready to get back in. Clark went 49-26 at UAB with two conference championships, most of that success coming after the program was rebuilt from nothing after being shut down following his first season.
Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson is directing one of the best offenses in the country. The Hurricanes currently rank second in the nation with 48.3 points per game, led by quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Cam Ward. Dawson has previously been an OC at Houston, Kentucky, West Virginia and Southern Miss.
NC State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson has been close to a few Power 4 head jobs in the past. He has been at NC State since 2019 and had almost 15 years of experience at West Virginia. Gibson has been a Broyles Award nominee multiple times in recent years, though the Wolfpack have struggled this season.
Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks has led one of the best defenses in college football this season. He has been at Tennessee since 2021, previously coached at Penn State, Illinois and Maryland, among other places, and has gotten looks for head coaching jobs.
Western Kentucky head coach Tyson Helton keeps winning, on track for a fifth season with at least eight wins. But his salary is just below $1 million, so ECU would represent a jump up from a salary and resources standpoint. He’s been in the mix for some Power 4 jobs in recent years.
Louisiana-Monroe head coach Bryant Vincent has done one of the best coaching jobs this season, sitting at 5-1 in his first year after taking over a 2-10 team. But his $600,000 salary is one of the lowest among FBS head coaches. ECU would be a big jump up in resources.
East Tennessee State head coach Tre Lamb has the Buccaneers ranked in the FCS top 25 in his first season after inheriting a three-win team. The 35-year-old took over a Gardner-Webb program coming off six consecutive losing seasons and won consecutive conference championships in 2022 and 2023.
Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell has been one of the biggest assistant hires of last offseason. The Panthers rank 10th nationally with 40.8 points per game, up from 116th a year ago. The 31-year-old Bell spent the last three years as Western Carolina’s offensive coordinator under his father Kerwin Bell.
Missouri defensive tackles coach David Blackwell is an ECU alum, former student assistant and defensive coordinator. He has also coached at Clemson, Pitt, Old Dominion and Louisiana Tech. This year’s Mizzou defense is 31st in yards per rush allowed.
Overall job grade: B-
East Carolina hasn’t seen much success on the field over the past decade, but with a supportive fan base, a good salary range and improving facilities, this job should be regarded in the upper part of the Group of 5.
(Photo: Rick Osentoski / USA Today)
