BREAKING NEWS: East Carolina has fired its head coach and swiftly replaced him with a highly regarded coach.

East Carolina has fired its head coach and swiftly replaced him with a highly regarded coach.

The college football season has witnessed its first significant coaching change, as East Carolina has parted ways with head coach Mike Houston.

According to CBS Sports, Houston’s dismissal follows a tough period over the last two seasons, during which the Pirates recorded a 5-14 mark. This decision came after East Carolina’s 45-28 defeat to Army, bringing their overall record to 3-4 and 1-2 in American Athletic Conference play.

Houston joined East Carolina in 2019 after a successful stint at James Madison, where he won an FCS national championship in 2016. Despite some early promise, his tenure at ECU was marked by inconsistent performance. Although he led the Pirates to bowl eligibility in both 2021 and 2022, the program struggled to sustain that success, ultimately finishing with a disappointing 2-10 record in 2023.

ECU athletic director Jon Gilbert commented that the decision was challenging but necessary to align with the program’s high expectations. Defensive coordinator Blake Harrell has been appointed as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season while the search for a permanent replacement begins.

With this change, Mike Houston becomes the first head coach to be dismissed during the 2024 college football season.

Other college football coaches who could be fired

A significant number of coaches across college football could face firings in 2024, as we approach a time in the season when schools often decide to make changes. This usually involves promoting an interim coach to finish out the year.

Currently, notable names like Sam Pittman from Arkansas, Mike Norvell from Florida State, Hugh Freeze from Auburn, and Mack Brown from UNC are under scrutiny as potential candidates for jobs that may soon become available.

Among this group, Mack Brown appears to be the most at risk. Since taking the helm at UNC, Brown has experienced a sharp decline in performance, and reports indicate he was close to retiring earlier this season. While it’s likely he’ll see out the remainder of this season, if the team’s struggles persist, UNC may already be considering a succession plan for the future.