A 31-point loss to Charlotte for Mike Houston’s East Carolina Pirates was a tough result to ignore coming off a 2-10 season. Pair that with a 17-point loss to Army one week later and Houston was dismissed as East Carolina head football coach. The Pirates showed resiliency the following week under defensive coordinator interim head coach Blake Harrell with a 56-34 win over Temple, covering a 9.5-point spread. East Carolina improved to 4-4 and Harrell has four more regular-season contests and a possible bowl to prove himself as a head coach of the future, but who are other candidates for to be the next East Carolina football coach? If you love the Pirates, or just want to know who will call the shots for ECU football in the future, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at HoistTheColours, the 247Sports affiliate that covers East Carolina.
HoistTheColours’ ECU insiders are providing on-the-ground updates on every development surrounding Houston’s firing and the future of the ECU football program, including insights from Stephen Igoe, who has deep-rooted ties inside and around the ECU community, as well as analysis from national analysts such as Brad Crawford. Get all the inside scoop on the football program, plus VIP intel on ECU football, basketball, recruiting and more, as well as access to the Crow’s Nest VIP forum, where you can connect with other ECU fans and insiders.
And right now, HoistTheColours is offering 50% off annual subscriptions*, so now is the time to sign up. The team at HoistTheColours already has a list out of several potential candidates and there are some surprising names on the list. Head to HoistTheColours now to see them all.
Top East Carolina football coach candidates
One name the staff has identified as a potential target is LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan. He was the quarterbacks coach at LSU in 2022 and 2023 before being promoted to offensive coordinator this year. He helped turn Jayden Daniels into a Heisman-winning quarterback as a fifth-year senior after Daniels spent his first three years at Arizona State and the Tigers are averaging the fifth-most passing yards per game (335.4) this season with Garrett Nussmeier, a starter for the first time in his college career as a redshirt junior.
Sloan is overseeing a modern college football offense that wants to get rid of the ball quickly, as LSU has the lowest sack rate (1.3%) in college football. East Carolina could benefit from that approach as the Pirates rank 72nd in yards per game while getting sacked on 5.1% of plays. Sloan was a backup quarterback at ECU from 2004-07, so he has program pride and if he goes into ECU and turns them into an elite offense after spending three years working closely with a respected head coach like Brian Kelly, Sloan could fast-track himself to future opportunities while helping his alma mater in the process. See more candidates at HoistTheColours.
How to get insider ECU coaching staff search updates
The rest of the list includes several other coaches with ties to ECU, including an NFL assistant and another program legend. You can only see who they are at HoistTheColours.
Who are the top names in the ECU football coaching search, and what program legend could return? Go to HoistTheColours to see their ECU coaching hot board and more, all from a team of ECU and college football insiders, and find out.
And reminder, HoistTheColours is offering 50% off an annual VIP membership as a coaching search special, so subscribe now before it’s too late.
*Terms: This offer is only available for new members who sign up for an annual subscription to HoistTheColours. After the first year, subscription will re-bill on an annual basis at the regular rate. 247Sports.com reserves the right to alter or cancel this promotion at any time. Please write [email protected] with any questions you may have.
Read the full article here