East Carolina wasted no time in finding its next head coach. Just over a month after firing Mike Houston, the school has decided to remove the interim tag from Blake Harrell and promote him to head coach, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
“Sources: East Carolina is planning to promote interim coach Blake Harrell to be the school’s next coach,” Thamel reported on X, formerly known as Twitter. “ECU’s board still needs to meet to formally approve a contract for Harrell. That’s expected to be called in the upcoming days.”
Harrell’s full-time contract is expected to be finalized soon, making the promotion official.
Before stepping into the interim role on October 20, Harrell served as East Carolina’s defensive coordinator. When he took over, the Pirates were 3-4, but his leadership has yielded impressive results. Under Harrell, East Carolina has won four straight games, improving to 7-4 on the season and securing bowl eligibility. The Pirates recorded home victories against Temple and Florida Atlantic before going on the road to beat Tulsa and North Texas.
Their most recent win over North Texas was a thrilling comeback. After trailing 21-0 late in the second quarter, East Carolina rallied with a Rahjai Harris touchdown run with four seconds left in the half, shifting the momentum. The Pirates then exploded for 24 unanswered points in the third quarter to take a 10-point lead, eventually winning 40-28.
The players have shown their support for Harrell, expressing their desire to see him remain as head coach on social media. Now, with this promotion, their wishes have been granted.
Harrell’s team will close the season with a home game against a struggling Navy squad on Friday. A win on senior day would give East Carolina a chance to finish the season with a six-game winning streak heading into bowl season.
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