After totaling just five wins since the start of last season, sixth-fewest in FBS, East Carolina football fired head coach Mike Houston in the midst of a 3-4 season. Houston won the 2016 FCS Championship at James Madison, but wasn't able to parlay that same success to FBS, as he leaves the Pirates with a 27-38 record at the school. The East Carolina football head coaching job is now one of four openings in FBS, with defensive coordinator Blake Harrell serving in the interim.
ECU has one of the most successful athletic programs in the American Conference, as its 13 AAC titles across all sports rank third among active AAC schools. It won a bowl game as recently as 2022, and the Carolinas are talent-rich, making the ECU football opening a very attractive one. 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. Sloan has spent the last dozen years coaching in Louisiana, nine with Louisiana Tech and the last three with LSU. As the Tigers' quarterbacks coach last year, he helped guide Jayden Daniels to the Heisman trophy as LSU led all of college football in both points per game (45.5) and yards per game (543.5). This year, in his first as LSU's OC, he has quarterback Garrett Nussmeier leading the SEC with 18 touchdown passes through eight weeks.
Prior to joining LSU in 2022, Sloan spent nine years at Louisiana Tech in various offensive roles and as one of the Bulldogs' lead recruiters. As OC at La. Tech in 2020, Sloan helped the program land the No. 1 recruiting class in Conference USA, which was also the No. 4 national recruiting class amongst Group of 5 programs. The prior season, in his first as an OC at any level, he helped steer Louisiana Tech to the second-best scoring offense and total offense in CUSA. His playing career at ECU consisted of 41 games as a holder and backup quarterback, and many Pirates fans would certainly welcome his return to the school. 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.
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