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Pete Thamel, ESPN
East Carolina is set to promote interim coach Blake Harrell to be its next coach, sources told ESPN on Monday.
Harrell is 4-0 since taking over Oct. 20. East Carolina is 7-4 on the season.
ECU’s board still needs to meet to formally approve a contract for Harrell, sources told ESPN. That meeting is expected to be called in the upcoming days and a decision is expected to be formalized this week, sources said.
The East Carolina brass has been impressed with the “contagious energy” that Harrell has brought to the job, as there’s a belief at ECU that the job should be one of the best in the AAC in its current iteration. ECU has a 50,000-seat stadium and a passionate fan base, and the coaching search was centered around someone who could maximize the job.
Harrell has rallied the team with a hands-on style, as he has scaled back practices to keep players fresh and put a focus on maximizing their experience.
The players have responded with wins over Temple, Florida Atlantic, at Tulsa and at North Texas.
ECU fell behind 21-0 to UNT on Saturday and stormed back for an emphatic 40-28 win. In the aftermath of that emotional victory, the players amplified their rallying cry to keep Harrell as the coach.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Katin Houser, who has thrown 13 touchdown passes in Harrell’s four games as interim coach, posted “Wewantharrell” on social media to express his support for Harrell to get the full-time job. Others who went public with their support included veteran tailback Rahjai Harris and senior tackle Parker Moorer.
Harrell, 46, was promoted to interim from his job as East Carolina’s defensive coordinator. He has deep rooting in the Carolinas, as he graduated Western Carolina and has an MBA from Lenoir-Rhyne. He coached in high school in North Carolina and began his full-time college coaching career with jobs at Lenoir-Rhyne and The Citadel.
Harrell also had a stint outside the Carolinas at Kennesaw State as the defensive coordinator in 2019, where he had a top-five FCS defense.
Harrell is set to take over for Mike Houston, who was fired in his sixth season after going 27-38. ECU hasn’t won a league title since Skip Holtz led them to a Conference USA crown in 2009.
Harrell’s expected promotion marks the first of the six American Athletic Conference jobs to fill this year. The remaining open jobs are Tulsa, FAU, Rice, Charlotte and Temple.
ECU plays Navy on Saturday to close out the regular season. A win would mark just the second time since 2014 that ECU has won eight games.
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