Dec 28, 2024; Annapolis, MD, USA; East Carolina Pirates head coach Blake Harrell reacts during the first half of the Go Bowling Military Bowl against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

How Did Blake Harrell Earn the ECU Job?

Originally posted on NC State Wolfpack on SI
By Tucker Sennett | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The last time East Carolina head coach Blake Harrell walked off a field for a game, he walked off having beaten in-state rival North Carolina State. The victory celebration became contentious after several players on the Wolfpack lost their cool and sparked a brawl in the waning second of the game with ECU's players.

Harrell walked away a winner with bragging rights over a power conference school in the same state. The feat was made even more impressive by the fact that Harrell took over the team a little over halfway into the season.

The coach earned the full coaching position before the Military Bowl, but the victory over State only sweetened the deal for ECU.

How did Harrell become the coach?

ECU's former head coach, Mike Houston, started the season with a 3-4 record last year. The program began to decline after the 8-5 campaign in 2022. Houston won just two games in 2023 and finished dead last in the American Conference.

The program saw enough from Houston to fire him after the Pirates were dominated by Army 45-28 in the seventh game of the season. The ECU brass picked Harrell to serve as the interim coach while it searched for Houston's successor.

Harrell made an immediate impact on the locker room and on the field. ECU won four consecutive conference games to finish the season and improved massively with the decision to hand quarterback Katin Houser the keys to the offense.

With push from the players and the success of the team, the ECU athletic department realized Harrell was the best option to lead the program moving forward and hired him permanently to the position before the Military Bowl. He finished with a 5-1 record in 2024.

Houser went to bat for Harrell on social media, positing a viral tweet saying "#wewantharrell" in an effort to keep the coach on board for the long haul.

#Wewantharrell
— Katin Houser (@katinhouser) November 24, 2024

Harrell and Houser responded to the good news by going out and beating NC State in the bowl game. The expectations are higher for Harrell in his first full year as ECU's head coach. With a returning quarterback and a full offseason to assemble his own team, Harrell and the Pirates should be among the American Conference's more competitive teams in 2025.

This article first appeared on NC State Wolfpack on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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